Vietnam’s Ambassador to Kuwait Nguyen Hong Thao has become the country’s first-ever diplomat to be elected to the United Nations’ International Law Commission (ILC).

Ambassador Thao won 120 out of 191 votes by the UN General Assembly to secure his seat at the ILC, the Vietnamese foreign ministry announced on Friday.

ILC allocated seven seats to the Asia-Pacific region, and Thao is now the only candidate from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, at this UN organ, Deputy Foreign Minister Le Hoai Trung told reporters in Hanoi.

This is the first time a Vietnamese candidate has run for and eventually won a seat at ILC. Ambassador Thao has also become the first diplomat to represent Vietnam at such an important organ of the UN.

Ambassador Nguyen Phuong Nga, permanent representative of Vietnam at the UN, hailed the success of Thao as a matter of great pride for the Southeast Asian country.

This shows the appreciation of the world of ambassador Thao and also the country’s position, prestige and increasingly deep engagement at the UN and at multilateral forums, Nga said.

The ambassador added that it is also recognition by the global community on Vietnam’s positive and responsible contributions to international affairs.

“This is also the result of tireless attempts over the past one year by the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and overseas representative agencies of the country, including Vietnam’s Permanent Delegation to the UN, to introduce and take advantage of global support for the Vietnamese nominee,” she said.

According to the Vietnam News Agency, ambassador Thao said he would actively take part in discussions on the themes that ILC is studying, especially those that are urgent and necessary for Vietnam and the world.

These issues include protecting people from natural disasters, protecting the environment during armed conflicts, temporary application of international treaties and identifying international practices.

Vietnamese Ambassador to Kuwai Nguyen Hong Thao is an international law expert and a seasoned diplomat with 40 years of experience.

He used to serve as deputy head of the National Border Committee, head of the negotiation team on border agreements with neighbouring countries, and a legal advisor to the drafting process of Vietnam’s 2012 Law of the Sea, according to the Vietnam News Agency.

Before taking the post in Kuwai, Thao, who completed his law doctorate at France’s Pantheon-Sorbonne University, was Vietnam’s Ambassador to Malaysia in the 2011-2014 tenure.

The ILC was established by the UN General Assembly in 1947 with 34 members to be elected every five years.

According to the Vietnam News Agency, the committee undertakes the mandate of the Assembly, under article 13 (1) (a) of the Charter of the United Nations to "initiate studies and make recommendations for the purpose of ... encouraging the progressive development of international law and its codification.”

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