New York (VNA) - Vietnam calls upon the UN SecurityCouncil to play its active role in preventing water-related conflicts,upholding international law and frameworks that help protect water security andwater infrastructures, particularly the 1997 UN Convention on the Law of theNon-navigational Uses of International Watercourses.

The statement was made by AmbassadorNguyen Phuong Nga, head of Vietnam’s permanent mission to the United Nations,at the Security Council Open Debate on “Water, Peace, and Security” on November22.

Affirming the importance of water, Nga said that the inclusion of water in SustainableDevelopment Goals demonstrates the broad recognition that water is essentialfor the well-being of humankind, food security, poverty reduction, andsustainable development.


According to the ambassador, Vietnamis among the countries most vulnerable to climate change. It suffers from bothfloods and severe drought. The country largely depends on trans-boundary waterresources (63 percent of Vietnam’s water resources comes from neighbouringcountries).

“Therefore, we highly value international, regional and sub-regionalcooperation frameworks on the management and the use of trans-boundary waterresources,” she stated.

Developed countries need to supportdeveloping countries in technology transfer, capacity building in watermanagement and responding to the impacts of climate change on water resources,she added.

Ambassador Nga also mentioned cooperation mechanisms in the Greater Mekong Sub-region(GMS) such as the GMS Cooperation, the Mekong River Commission (MRC),ASEAN-Mekong Basin Development Cooperation (AMBDC), the Lower Mekong Initiative(LMI), the Summit Meeting between Japan and the Mekong River Basin Countries,

“We hope that the international community will continue to support Mekongcooperation for peace, security and sustainable development in the region, withfull respect for the interests of riparian countries and the balance ofeconomic, social and environmental dimensions,” she said.-VNA