How to implement the 2013 Constitution during Vietnam’s legal and judicial reform lies at the heart of the 10th legal partnership forum held in Hanoi on April 3.

Minister of Justice Ha Hung Cuong said the amended Constitution reflects the renovation in political thought, theoretical awareness and the leadership capability of the Vietnamese Party, State and people on the country’s path of development.

It also manifests the process of reforming the State apparatus, with a number of new points promoting democracy and ensuring human and citizen rights as well as implementing judicial, administrative and socio-economic management reform.

Meanwhile, UN Resident Coordinator in Vietnam Pratibha Mehta said the amended Constitution and Law on Land require the State management offices to adjust a set of laws and regulations to ensure equality, efficiency and the commitment to protect human rights for all people.

Director of the Justice Ministry’s Department of Criminal and Administrative Laws Nguyen Thi Kim Thoa highlighted the revision of all laws, ordinances and other legal documents issued before the day the Constitution took effect as a key task of local offices.

She raised preliminary statistics from the NA Standing Committee and the Government that show that as many as 88 draft laws and ordinances, excluding those on tax, must be modified, supplemented or newly enforced.

Eighty-two of such documents are expected to be submitted to the NA and the committee between 2014 and 2016, including 28 on human rights and the fundamental rights and obligations of citizens.

Participants also touched upon the opinions raised by UN agencies on implementing the 2013 Constitution in line with the international conventions that Vietnam is a member.

The forum is part of a joint project between Vietnam and the UNDP on enhancing legal access and rights protection in the country.

The revised Constitution came into force on January 1, 2014. It has 11 chapters with 120 articles (one chapter and 27 articles fewer than the previous version).-VNA