National Assembly Delegate from Nghe An proposes to improve policies for civilian forces and women participating in peacekeeping

Proposal to regulate the focal point for management and training of civil forces

The delegate from Nghe An said that adding civilians to the peacekeeping force is "important in terms of foreign affairs, national defense and security", demonstrating Vietnam's international responsibility.

She emphasized that this is a step in line with the spirit of the Master Plan on Vietnam's participation in UN peacekeeping operations approved by the Politburo in 2012, which mentioned the mobilization of both infantry, police and civilian personnel in the organization's missions.

According to Ms. Hoang Thi Hien, peacekeeping activities are currently expanding in both scale and scope, requiring not only armed forces but also the participation of personnel in the fields of law, human rights, health, education, institution building and support for local authorities.

Many countries have sent civilian experts and government staff to join field missions and policy-making bodies at the United Nations headquarters. This helps countries increase their sphere of influence and directly participate in the global policy-making process.

Vietnam was also proposed by the United Nations to expand the subjects, locations, and scope of participation, including civilian leadership positions and civilian experts in the field mission and the Secretariat. Therefore, delegates said that adding civilian forces is necessary, contributing to enhancing Vietnam's role.

However, delegate Hoang Thi Thu Hien noted that the civilian force does not come from a training environment like the armed forces, while the task is fraught with many potential dangers and risks. The current draft law only provides general provisions: Building a Vietnamese force participating in UN peacekeeping operations that meets modern, professional requirements and is in line with UN standards.

However, the articles and clauses in the draft law generally separate the civil force from state management, training, coaching, fostering... belonging to departments, ministries, branches, and localities.

From there, delegates suggested that the draft law should specifically regulate training for this force; at the same time, it is necessary to unify which ministries, departments and sectors should take the lead in the civilian forces participating in the United Nations peacekeeping force.

Supplementing policies to support women in performing international missions

Delegate Hoang Thi Thu Hien highly appreciated the integration of gender in the process of drafting the law, with the content of creating conditions and encouraging women to participate in peacekeeping activities.

According to her, the participation of women in peacekeeping forces is a requirement encouraged by the United Nations, especially in the fields of civil affairs, humanitarian affairs, health, psychology, education and gender equality. Women have the ability to get close to victims, women and children - vulnerable groups in post-conflict areas. In fact, Vietnamese female officers participating in peacekeeping activities have been highly appreciated by the United Nations.

However, delegates pointed out that the current draft law does not fully mention support mechanisms specifically for women when performing this special task. The operating environment of peacekeeping forces is very harsh, with high risks of insecurity, and women are vulnerable to sexual abuse and gender-based violence, in addition to difficulties in living conditions.

From the above analysis, delegate Hoang Thi Thu Hien proposed that the draft law add clear and specific regulations for women, such as regulations on selection and training standards, especially training and training to counter sexual assault; testing and psychological training in harsh conditions; modern equipment to ensure self-defense and safety; support during service and after completing the mission.