Deputy Minister of Defence, Sen. Lieut. Gen. Hoang Xuan Chien (R) speaks at the conference (Photo: VNA)

Co-chaired by Deputy Minister of Defence, Sen. Lieut. Gen. Hoang Xuan Chien, and Kamal Malhotra, UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative to Vietnam, the conference aimed to reaffirm Vietnam’s strong commitment to issues relating to women, peace, and security. It also highlighted  UN peacekeeping activities, and Vietnam's active and proactive efforts in taking on the dual roles of a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council and the ASEAN Chair in 2020. In his speech, Chien emphasised that member nations of the UN and Southeast Asian countries are making efforts to sustainably increase women’s participation in UN peacekeeping missions.