<div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_default" style=""><font face="garamond, serif" size="4"><b><a href="https://vietnamnews.vn/politics-laws/507849/viet-nam-calls-for-more-intl-support-in-war-consequence-settlement.html">Việt Nam News</a></b></font></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif"><span style="color:rgb(153,153,153);font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px">March, 27/2019</span> <br> <br></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif"><h3 class="gmail-vnnews-tt-post" style="box-sizing:border-box;font-size:24px;line-height:32px;margin:0px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif">Việt Nam calls for more int’l support in war consequence settlement</h3><div class="gmail-vnnews-text-post" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin-top:20px;font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:medium;color:rgb(51,51,51)"><table border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1" style="box-sizing:border-box;max-width:600px;margin:0px auto"><tbody style="box-sizing:border-box"><tr style="box-sizing:border-box"><td style="box-sizing:border-box;text-align:center"><img border="0" hspace="3" id="gmail-259500" src="http://image.vietnamnews.vn//uploadvnnews/Article/2019/3/26/vna_potal_ky_niem_57_nam_tham_hoa_da_cam_o_viet_na36364645PM.jpg" vspace="3" style="box-sizing: border-box; width: auto; border: 0px; max-width: 460px;"></td></tr></tbody></table><table border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1" style="box-sizing:border-box;max-width:600px;margin:0px auto"><tbody style="box-sizing:border-box"><tr style="box-sizing:border-box"><td style="box-sizing:border-box"><font size="2">Vast tracts of forest in the south of Việt Nam were devastated by the highly toxic Agent Orange that <span class="gmail-gr_ gmail-gr_98 gmail-gr-alert gmail-gr_gramm gmail-gr_inline_cards gmail-gr_run_anim gmail-Grammar gmail-only-ins gmail-replaceWithoutSep" id="gmail-98" style="display:inline;border-bottom:2px solid transparent;background-repeat:no-repeat;color:inherit;font-size:inherit"><span class="gmail-gr_ gmail-gr_113 gmail-gr-alert gmail-gr_gramm gmail-gr_inline_cards gmail-gr_run_anim gmail-Grammar gmail-only-ins gmail-replaceWithoutSep" id="gmail-113" style="display:inline;border-bottom:2px solid transparent;background-repeat:no-repeat;color:inherit;font-size:inherit">US</span></span> army used as <span class="gmail-gr_ gmail-gr_97 gmail-gr-alert gmail-gr_gramm gmail-gr_inline_cards gmail-gr_run_anim gmail-Grammar gmail-only-ins gmail-replaceWithoutSep" id="gmail-97" style="display:inline;border-bottom:2px solid transparent;background-repeat:no-repeat;color:inherit;font-size:inherit"><span class="gmail-gr_ gmail-gr_112 gmail-gr-alert gmail-gr_gramm gmail-gr_inline_cards gmail-gr_run_anim gmail-Grammar gmail-only-ins gmail-replaceWithoutSep" id="gmail-112" style="display:inline;border-bottom:2px solid transparent;background-repeat:no-repeat;color:inherit;font-size:inherit">defoliant</span></span> in the war in Việt Nam. — VNA/VNS File Photo</font></td></tr></tbody></table><br><div style="box-sizing:border-box"><a class="gmail-atitcontentvns" href="http://vietnamnews.vn/" title="Viet Nam News" style="box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(0,102,179);font-weight:bold;text-decoration-line:none;float:left;margin-right:3px"><span style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-weight:normal">NEW YORK — Việt Nam wants the international community to assist in dealing with war consequences, helping the country develop sustainably and actively take part in UN peacekeeping operations.<br><br></span></a><p style="box-sizing:border-box;line-height:22px">This was the message the country conveyed at an international workshop held by the Office of the Standing Agency of the National Steering Committee on the Settlement of Post-war Unexploded Ordnance and Toxic Chemical Consequences (Office 701) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in New York on March 25 (local time).<span style="box-sizing:border-box"></span></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;line-height:22px">Deputy Minister of National Defence Sen. Lieut. Gen. Nguyễn Chí Vịnh thanked international friends, especially the UNDP, for helping Việt Nam overcome war consequences over the years.<span style="box-sizing:border-box"></span></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;line-height:22px">Việt Nam is a symbol for efforts to move on from war to step into a new development period, and a symbol of international cooperation, including countries which made war in Việt Nam, he said.<span style="box-sizing:border-box"></span></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;line-height:22px">Vịnh attributed the results to the Vietnamese Government’s endeavours to recognise Việt Nam as a country of peace and safety.<span style="box-sizing:border-box"></span></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;line-height:22px">However there are still difficulties ahead, the official stressed, and further support from the international community is crucial, according to the deputy minister.<span style="box-sizing:border-box"></span></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;line-height:22px">Asako Okai, Assistant Secretary General of the UN, UNDP Deputy Director General and Director of the UNDP Crisis Bureau, acknowledged the challenges facing Việt Nam.<span style="box-sizing:border-box"></span></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;line-height:22px">These challenges might lie in climate change or global financial uncertainties and would affect financial resources for war consequence settlement, she said.<span style="box-sizing:border-box"></span></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;line-height:22px">Given this, the UNDP planned to support Việt Nam, especially through existing projects coordinated by the UNDP and funded by the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), aiming to cope with climate change and clear bombs and mines, she said.<span style="box-sizing:border-box"></span></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;line-height:22px">The UNDP also deployed projects that support Vietnamese bomb and mine victims, she added.<span style="box-sizing:border-box"></span></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;line-height:22px">Caitlin Wiesen, a representative of UNDP Việt Nam, spoke of cooperation between Việt Nam and the US in war consequence settlement over the years.<span style="box-sizing:border-box"></span></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;line-height:22px">Other international delegates lauded Việt Nam’s efforts in handling war aftermaths and participating in UN peacekeeping, as well as effective collaboration between Việt Nam and the UNDP, foreign countries and international organisations in this regard.<span style="box-sizing:border-box"></span></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;line-height:22px">They said they were impressed by development in Việt Nam, which emerged from one of the world’s poorest countries to become a middle-income earner in just 25 years and completed most of UN Millennium Development Goals at the national level before the 2015 deadline.<span style="box-sizing:border-box"></span></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;line-height:22px">Results in war consequence settlement in Việt Nam significantly contributed to the fulfilment of these goals, they said.<span style="box-sizing:border-box"></span></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;line-height:22px">They also committed to continuing their assistance to the country to ease plight caused by the war, thus contributing to peace and sustainable development in the world.</p><table border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1" style="box-sizing:border-box;max-width:600px;margin:0px auto"><tbody style="box-sizing:border-box"><tr style="box-sizing:border-box"><td style="box-sizing:border-box;text-align:center"><img border="0" hspace="3" id="gmail-259501" src="http://image.vietnamnews.vn//uploadvnnews/Article/2019/3/26/vna_potal_ky_niem_57_nam_tham_hoa_da_cam_o_viet_26964645PM.jpg" vspace="3" style="box-sizing: border-box; width: auto; border: 0px; max-width: 460px;"></td></tr><tr style="box-sizing:border-box"><td style="box-sizing:border-box"><font size="2">A caretaker feeds children afflicted with disfigurement caused by Agent Orange in the Hoà Bình Peace Village, part of Từ Dũ Hospital in HCM City. — VNA/VNS Photo Dương Ngọc</font></td></tr></tbody></table><p style="box-sizing:border-box;line-height:22px">In an interview with Vietnam News Agency, Vịnh said Việt Nam was willing to share its experience and support with the international community in dealing with war aftermaths.<span style="box-sizing:border-box"></span></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;line-height:22px">Việt Nam had sent military health workers and officers, and would dispatch sappers to UN peacekeeping missions in Africa, he said.<span style="box-sizing:border-box"></span></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;line-height:22px">War consequence settlement would be combined with issues regarding the environment, development and science so that each related project would benefit national development as well as international relations, he said.<span style="box-sizing:border-box"></span></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;line-height:22px">According to Office 701, although the war in Việt Nam ended 44 years ago, its consequences have remained severe as a large amount of toxic chemicals used during the war are still affecting human health and the environment.<span style="box-sizing:border-box"></span></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;line-height:22px">The work, therefore, has met various difficulties, especially with limited funds.<span style="box-sizing:border-box"></span></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;line-height:22px">In 2019, the office will continue to implement projects on dioxin remediation at Biên Hoà Airport in the southern region, and expects to treat 35 per cent of the contaminated land and review all people who participated in the war and their children exposed to the chemicals by 2020.<span style="box-sizing:border-box"></span></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;line-height:22px">Statistics released by the Việt Nam Association of Victims of Agent Orange (AO)/dioxin show that there are still more than 3 million Vietnamese people affected.<span style="box-sizing:border-box"></span></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;line-height:22px">During 1961-71, some 80 million litres of herbicides were sprayed onto 2.63 million hectares of land in Southern Việt Nam, 60 percent of which were AO/dioxin, the Ministry of National Defence said.<span style="box-sizing:border-box"></span></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;line-height:22px">It is estimated more than 2 million hectares of forest and some 20,000 villages were affected, with about 2.1-4.8 million people exposed to the deadly chemicals.<span style="box-sizing:border-box"></span></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;line-height:22px">As of 2018, about 320,000 people fighting in the war and their children who were exposed to the chemicals had benefitted from social policies.<span style="box-sizing:border-box"></span></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;line-height:22px">Between 1964-75, Việt Nam suffered from more than 16 million tonnes of bombs and mines, four times more than those used during all of World War I.<span style="box-sizing:border-box"></span></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;line-height:22px">All 63 cities and provinces in the country are contaminated with unexploded devices, with total poisoned area amounting to some 6.1 million ha or 18.71 per cent of national area.<span style="box-sizing:border-box"></span></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;line-height:22px">The international seminar saw the attendance of Vietnamese Ambassador Đặng Đình Quý, head of the Vietnamese mission to the UN; representatives from relevant Vietnamese ministries and agencies; and delegates from the US, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, the Republic of Korea, the UK, France, Canada, some ASEAN countries, along with those from the EU, the UN and international organisations. — VNS</p></div></div></div><div><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><p style="line-height:14.95px;background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-repeat:initial"><span style="font-family:"trebuchet ms",sans-serif;font-size:x-small;color:rgb(153,0,0);background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-repeat:initial"><br></span></p><p style="line-height:14.95px;background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-repeat:initial"><span style="font-family:"trebuchet ms",sans-serif;font-size:x-small;color:rgb(153,0,0);background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-repeat:initial">================================</span><font style="font-family:"trebuchet ms",sans-serif;font-size:x-small;color:black"> <br></font><span style="color:rgb(153,0,0);font-family:"trebuchet ms",sans-serif;font-size:x-small">CHUCK SEARCY<br></span><span style="color:rgb(153,0,0);font-family:"trebuchet ms",sans-serif;font-size:x-small">President, VFP Chapter 160<br></span><span style="color:rgb(153,0,0);font-family:"trebuchet ms",sans-serif;font-size:x-small">International Advisor, Project RENEW<br></span><span style="color:rgb(153,0,0);font-family:"trebuchet ms",sans-serif;font-size:x-small">Co-chair, Agent Orange Working Group<br></span><span style="color:rgb(153,0,0);font-family:"trebuchet ms",sans-serif;font-size:x-small">71 Trần Quốc Toản<br></span><span style="color:rgb(153,0,0);font-family:"trebuchet ms",sans-serif;font-size:x-small">Hà Nội, Việt Nam<br></span><span style="font-family:"trebuchet ms",sans-serif;font-size:x-small;color:rgb(153,0,0);background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-repeat:initial">Email </span><span style="font-family:"trebuchet ms",sans-serif;font-size:x-small;background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-repeat:initial"><a href="mailto:chuckusvn@gmail.com" style="color:rgb(17,85,204);font-family:"trebuchet ms",sans-serif;font-size:x-small" target="_blank">chuckusvn@gmail.com</a><font color="#1155cc"><br></font></span><span style="color:rgb(153,0,0);font-family:"trebuchet ms",sans-serif;font-size:x-small">Skype chucksearcy<br></span><span style="color:rgb(153,0,0);font-family:"trebuchet ms",sans-serif;font-size:x-small">Cell VN +8 490 342 0769<br></span><span style="color:rgb(153,0,0);font-family:"trebuchet ms",sans-serif;font-size:x-small">Cell US +1 404 740 0653<br></span><span style="font-family:"trebuchet ms",sans-serif;font-size:x-small;color:rgb(153,0,0);background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-repeat:initial">Web </span><span style="font-family:"trebuchet ms",sans-serif;font-size:x-small;color:rgb(17,85,204);background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-repeat:initial"><a href="http://www.landmines.org.vn/" target="_blank">www.landmines.org.vn</a><br></span><span style="font-family:"trebuchet ms",sans-serif;font-size:x-small;color:rgb(153,0,0);background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-repeat:initial">================================</span><font style="font-family:"trebuchet ms",sans-serif;font-size:x-small;color:black"> </font><span style="font-size:6pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:black;background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-repeat:initial"> </span></p>
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