This assessment was made by Ambassador Mai Phan Dung, head of Viet Nam’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations (UN), the World Trade Organisation, and other international organisations in Geneva, Switzerland, regarding the importance of NA Chairman Tran Thanh Man’s visit to Switzerland for the WCSP 6 and bilateral activities.
A parliamentary diplomatic event of great significance
Ambassador Mai Phan Dung stated that the WCSP is one of the most important parliamentary diplomatic forums globally. This event is held every five years alongside the IPU General Assemblies, which take place twice a year.
Significantly, this year’s conference rotates exclusively among the three largest multilateral centres worldwide: New York (USA), Vienna (Austria), and Geneva (Switzerland). These cities host key UN bodies and the leading multilateral institutions globally.
According to Ambassador Dung, while the IPU General Assembly serves as a regular forum, the WCSP is considered the “summit” of parliamentary diplomacy. It gathers the largest number of parliamentary leaders from across continents to discuss strategic policies and shape global parliamentary cooperation to address major contemporary challenges, from peace and security to sustainable development and the promotion of human rights and equality.
The conference’s theme highlights the role of national parliaments in promoting multilateralism, dialogue, and cooperation to build a peaceful, just, and prosperous world for all peoples — a common aspiration of humanity worldwide.
The theme of the WCSP6 in Geneva is “A World in Turmoil: Parliamentary Cooperation and Multilateralism for Peace, Justice and Prosperity for All.” This theme is viewed to be very fitting and urgent in the context of the world experiencing profound and complex upheavals, from geopolitical conflicts and climate change to non-traditional security challenges and growing development gaps, all demanding more comprehensive and effective cooperation among nations.
The conference’s theme highlights the role of national parliaments in promoting multilateralism, dialogue, and cooperation to build a peaceful, just, and prosperous world for all peoples — a common aspiration of humanity worldwide. This is also the vision and commitment that Viet Nam has persistently pursued, following the motto “proactive, positive, and responsible” in all diplomatic activities, especially parliamentary diplomacy.
Emphasising the significance of NA Chairman Tran Thanh Man’s visit to the WCSP6 in Geneva, Ambassador Mai Phan Dung noted that this is a highly important parliamentary diplomatic event as it offers Viet Nam the opportunity to continue contributing actively and responsibly to the collective efforts of the IPU, helping to promote cooperation between the IPU and the UN.
“Viet Nam’s participation at the highest level strongly demonstrates the country’s commitment to multilateralism, particularly as the UN and multilateral mechanisms face many challenges. It also reflects the Vietnamese NA’s responsibility to contribute to joint efforts in addressing global challenges," Ambassador Dung emphasised.
This is an opportunity for Viet Nam to reaffirm its foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, multilateralisation, diversification, and extensive international integration, he added.
Viet Nam makes active and responsible contributions to the IPU
Affirming parliamentary diplomacy as a crucial pillar within Viet Nam’s overall foreign policy, Ambassador Dung stressed that alongside party diplomacy and state diplomacy, parliamentary diplomacy helps expand the network of partners and garner international support for Viet Nam’s cause of national protection and development.
The Vietnamese NA’s diplomatic activities not only help strengthen and consolidate bilateral and multilateral friendship and cooperation but also affirm Viet Nam’s proactive, positive, and responsible role and position in the international community.
Amid global volatility, Viet Nam remains steadfast in supporting the peaceful resolution of disputes in accordance with international law and the United Nations Charter. Through multilateral mechanisms such as the IPU, ASEAN, and the UN, Viet Nam has actively contributed to building international consensus and promoting cooperation for a peaceful, just, and sustainably developed world.
This is also a demonstration of Viet Nam’s foreign policy of peace, cooperation, and development.
NA Chairman Tran Thanh Man’s visit will help consolidate parliamentary cooperation between the Viet Nam and IPU members and promote the comprehensive partnership between Viet Nam and Switzerland.
Ambassador Mai Phan Dung
Sharing information about the programme of the WCSP6, Ambassador Mai Phan Dung said that the conference features a comprehensive agenda with many important discussion sessions. In addition to the plenary session on the general theme, there are five thematic discussion groups on issues attracting great international attention: promoting the participation of women and youth in parliaments; innovation to respond to global upheavals; the role of parliaments in shaping the digital future; protecting and promoting the rights of vulnerable groups; and international cooperation to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.
At the conference, NA Chairman Tran Thanh Man is expected to deliver a speech at the plenary session, highlighting Viet Nam’s contributions to promoting peace, sustainable development, and multilateral cooperation.
The Vietnamese delegation will also participate in discussions at thematic sessions on promoting women’s and youth’s parliamentary participation and international cooperation to achieve the SDGs by 2030.
The Vietnamese delegates will actively contribute opinions to the conference’s joint declaration, affirming Viet Nam’s stance and perspectives on important international issues.
Ambassador Mai Phan Dung expressed his belief that NA Chairman Tran Thanh Man’s visit will help consolidate parliamentary cooperation between the Viet Nam and IPU members and promote the comprehensive partnership between Viet Nam and Switzerland.
The visit also provides an opportunity for Viet Nam to learn from other countries in law-making and national policy oversight as well as share experiences in national development, the building of a socialist rule-of-law state, and the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals, thereby garnering international support for Viet Nam’s development and integration priorities.
