Hanoi (VNA) – A Vietnamesedelegation has emphasised the importance of multilateralism at the 58th sessionof the Asian-African Legal Consultative Organisation (AALCO) recently held inDar es Salaam capital of Tanzania.

The annual session, themed “Multilateralism andInternational Order based on International Law”, took place from October 21 to25.

The Vietnamese delegation includedrepresentatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of NationalDefence, the Ministry of Public Security and the Ministry of Justice.

Speaking at the event’s general debate, Chu TuanDuc, Deputy Director of the Foreign Ministry’s Department of Law andInternational Treaties, stressed the importance of multilateralism, with theUnited Nations (UN) playing the central role, as well as the basic principlesof international law recognised by the members in the UN Charter.

He noted that the development of multilateralismover the past 75 years has brought about many significant achievements, helpingto shape modern international relations with their foundation being suchimportant international treaties as the UN Charter adopted in 1945, the fourGeneva Conventions on international humanitarian law in 1949, the ViennaConvention on the Law on Treaties in 1969, and the UN Convention on the Law ofthe Sea in 1982.

However, multilateralism and the internationallegal system are facing numerous challenges, requesting countries to respectinternational law and be active in multilateral cooperation at multiple levels,Duc said.

The official added that Vietnam has beenactively contributing to multilateral forums, as well as the codification anddevelopment of international law, particularly when it will serve as anon-permanent member of the UN Security Council for 2020-2021 and ASEAN Chairin 2020.

At the session, representatives of the AALCOmembers and guests, including experts and scholars, discussed issues of commonconcern, including the law of the sea (preservation and sustainable use ofbiodiversity beyond national jurisdiction; freedom of navigation ininternational seas and straits; and illegal, unreported and unregulatedfishing); the peaceful settlement of disputes; international law on the cyberspace; the International Trade and Investment Law; and topics in the agenda ofthe UN’s International Law Commission.

Participants affirmed their countries’ respectfor the principles of international law as enshrined in the UN Charter,considering these as the basic to deal with emerging challenges and promotemultilateralism and rules-based international order.

The Vietnamese delegation delivered speeches onalmost all topics. It highlighted the importance of international law andcalled for the peaceful settlement of disputes, including those in the EastSea, and for restraint from unilateral actions that may complicate thesituation, escalate tensions or threaten regional and global peace andsecurity.

At its 58th session, the AALCO admitted thePhilippines as its new member.

The AALCO was founded under the name Asian LegalConsultative Committee in Bandung city of Indonesia in 1956. It was renamed asit is today in 2001 to reflect the expansion of its membership to Africa. Theorganisation currently consists of 48 member states. 

Vietnam became an official member of the AALCOin 2017./.