The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) and the Australian Agency for International Development jointly held a seminar on international conventions on human rights and implementation mechanisms in Hanoi on December 22.

The event was part of a technical cooperation programme on human rights between Vietnam and Australia , which started in 2006.

In his opening remarks, MoFA Deputy Minister Bui Thanh Son thanked Australia for its active cooperation and support in disseminating the contents of the international conventions on human rights.

Son said that the Vietnamese Party and government define that man is not only the objective but also the momentum for national development as well as the focus of the country’s socio-economic policies.

Therefore, Vietnam always attaches importance to joining international treaties on human rights in order to represent its commitments and attention to ensuring the implementation of human rights, he stressed.

Deputy Minister Son and Australian Deputy Ambassador to Vietnam Vanessa Wood said the seminar offered a chance for representatives of relevant agencies to share information and experiences, strengthening the close coordination between ministries and agencies as well as between central agencies and news agencies in ensuring Vietnamese citizens’ basic rights.

Participants at the event discussed the issue of democracy and human rights in international relations, especially relations between Vietnam and the US , Canada , the EU and the Vatican ; and the Vietnamese State ’s viewpoints and policies on human rights.

Such issues as international conventions on human rights and Vietnam ’s participation, international human rights mechanisms, and the role of the press in promoting and protecting human rights were also put on table./.