Law makers, government officials and international delegates stressed the important role of the National Assembly (NA) in protecting and promoting human rights at a conference held in Hanoi on December 10.
The conference, which focused on the role of the National Assembly in upholding international conventions and national laws on human rights, was co-organised by the NA’s Foreign Affairs Committee and the UN Development Programme in Vietnam.
Since the country adopted its Doi Moi (renovation) policy in 1986, the NA has promulgated a multitude of laws to institutionalise the pragmatic perspectives of the Party and government on protecting human rights as well as the rights of citizens, said Ngo Duc Manh, vice chairman of the NA Foreign Affairs Committee.
In particular, the new Constitution of 2013 provides an important political foundation for reaffirming, upholding and protecting human rights.
At the same time, Vietnam has also joined almost all key international conventions on human rights, including the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
At the most recent session last month, the NA ratified the Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment as well as the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
The country has actively participated in bilateral and multilateral dialogue mechanisms on human rights.
Pratibha Mehta, UN Resident Coordinator to Vietnam said the UN recognises the NA’s efforts to ensure human rights protection in Vietnam, as seen in the recent ratification of the Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment as well as the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
She affirmed that the UN will support Vietnam in facilitating knowledge sharing and provide technical advice on best practices from around the world as a way to support the NA’s legislative and oversight functions in strengthening human rights.
“The NA’s legislative role at all levels is fundamental in developing and passing new laws that advance human rights,” she said.
Participants at the conference also discussed the Universal Periodical Review (UPR) as a means to generating a holistic view of a nation’s progress in promoting, protecting and respecting human rights through dialogues on achievements and challenges faced.
Created in 2006 and introduced in Vietnam in 2009, the nation has seen two cycles of the UPR. In the second one, Vietnam has accepted 182 recommendations to be implemented before 2019, said Vu Anh Quang, director general of the International Organisations Development of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.-VNA
The conference, which focused on the role of the National Assembly in upholding international conventions and national laws on human rights, was co-organised by the NA’s Foreign Affairs Committee and the UN Development Programme in Vietnam.
Since the country adopted its Doi Moi (renovation) policy in 1986, the NA has promulgated a multitude of laws to institutionalise the pragmatic perspectives of the Party and government on protecting human rights as well as the rights of citizens, said Ngo Duc Manh, vice chairman of the NA Foreign Affairs Committee.
In particular, the new Constitution of 2013 provides an important political foundation for reaffirming, upholding and protecting human rights.
At the same time, Vietnam has also joined almost all key international conventions on human rights, including the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
At the most recent session last month, the NA ratified the Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment as well as the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
The country has actively participated in bilateral and multilateral dialogue mechanisms on human rights.
Pratibha Mehta, UN Resident Coordinator to Vietnam said the UN recognises the NA’s efforts to ensure human rights protection in Vietnam, as seen in the recent ratification of the Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment as well as the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
She affirmed that the UN will support Vietnam in facilitating knowledge sharing and provide technical advice on best practices from around the world as a way to support the NA’s legislative and oversight functions in strengthening human rights.
“The NA’s legislative role at all levels is fundamental in developing and passing new laws that advance human rights,” she said.
Participants at the conference also discussed the Universal Periodical Review (UPR) as a means to generating a holistic view of a nation’s progress in promoting, protecting and respecting human rights through dialogues on achievements and challenges faced.
Created in 2006 and introduced in Vietnam in 2009, the nation has seen two cycles of the UPR. In the second one, Vietnam has accepted 182 recommendations to be implemented before 2019, said Vu Anh Quang, director general of the International Organisations Development of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.-VNA
