Vietnam attends UNHRC meeting on ethnic minorities

Deputy Minister Hoang Xuan Luong, Deputy Head of the Government Committee for Ethnic Minorities, led a delegation to the fifth session of the United Nations Human Rights Council on ethnic minorities held in Geneva, Switzerland, on November 27-28.
Deputy Minister Hoang Xuan Luong, Deputy Head of the Government Committee for Ethnic Minorities, led a delegation to the fifth session of the United Nations Human Rights Council on ethnic minorities held in Geneva, Switzerland, on November 27-28.

At the event, Luong delivered a speech on Vietnam’s achievements and measures to ensure the rights of ethnic minorities.

He affirmed that the Vietnamese State’s policy is that all ethnic groups are equal and united, respect and support each other’s development.

Since 1992, Vietnamese law has been designed to meet the basic rights and legal interests of ethnic minorities. In the last 10 years, the National Assembly has promulgated 38 laws directly relating to this issue.

Up to 17.27 percent of NA deputies belong to ethnic minority groups.

Ethnic groups see their cultural identities respected and their languages taught in State education. All communes in ethnic minority areas are connected by road and have electricity, fresh water, schools, postal and healthcare services, almost of them have access to entertainment services like television and radio.

The Vietnamese delegation pointed out that despite several important achievements, ensuring the rights of ethnic minority people has its challenges. They are in remote locations, have poor quality human resources, insufficient land for farming, difficult living conditions and limited access to social services.

Luong said that in the coming time, the Vietnamese State will continue developing, supplementing and completing its legal system and policies. It will increase investment for areas inhabited by ethnic minority people, focus on solving the issues of agricultural land and water for daily use, as well as ensure regulations on grassroots-level democracy.

The State will support ethnic minority people in improving their capacity and knowledge to effectively participate at all levels of authority apparatus, he added.

According to the Deputy Minister, Vietnam is united. It has 54 ethnic groups, including 53 ethnic minority groups, which reside next to one another. No ethnic group lives separately according to territorial areas.

Vietnam will effectively implement international treaties and conventions on human rights, including declarations on the rights of the ethnic minority groups in terms of nationality, race, religion and language, he said.

The Vietnamese Government is interested in human rights, especially the rights of ethnic minority communities, ethnic and religious groups, he stressed.-VNA

See more