With a view to contributing further to the joint efforts of the international community in promoting and protecting human rights across the world, Vietnam has enhanced its international cooperation and joined bilateral and multilateral forums in the field, while making every effort to ensure basic human rights are respected.
The country has always affirmed its commitment and demonstrated its determination and responsibility to ensure the enforcement of human rights.
According to Vietnam’s national report on human rights under the UN Human Rights Council’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR), Vietnam submitted and presented a number of reports on its implementation of several conventions such as the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination in 2000-2009; the Convention on the Right of the Child (CRC) in 2008-2011, the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW).
The country is working on a report on the implementation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Generally, Vietnam has fulfilled reports for conventions in which it is a member.
Vietnam is now a member of the eight most important international conventions on human rights, while participating in 18 conventions of the International Labour Organisation. In the process of implementing international conventions in the field, Vietnam has reviewed the country’s legal regulations on civil and political rights.
The review, which was conducted in about 80 percent of agencies at all levels, showed that civil and political rights mentioned in international conventions joined by Vietnam, were stipulated thoroughly and consistently in the country’s Constitution and many other important legal documents.
In the time to come, the country will continue reviewing the country’s legal regulations on economic, cultural and social rights, and the rights of vulnerable groups.
In a recent interview with Vietnam News Agency correspondents, Pratibha Mehta, UN Resident Coordinator in Vietnam, noted that Vietnam has actively taken part in international mechanisms, which monitor issues related to human rights worldwide, including the accordance between governments with core treaties on human rights.
The country has constantly exerted efforts to better its legal and judicial system, while building a law-governed State and strengthening national institutions to protect human rights, she added.
Several special reporters of the Human Rights Council have visited Vietnam over the past time, and through their fact-finding tours to Vietnam’s localities, they spoke highly of the cooperative spirit, the political resolve and policies and measures of the country to ensure human rights. They also pointed out challenges that the country has to solve to better ensure human rights.
On the regional scope, Vietnam and other ASEAN member countries have made positive contributions to establishing the ASEAN Inter-governmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR), the ASEAN Commission on the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Women and Children (ACWC) and adopting the ASEAN Human Right Declaration.
It also participated in the Coordinated Mekong Ministerial Initiative against Trafficking (COMMIT), while working closely with UN organisations and signing bilateral cooperation agreements with many countries to enhance the effectiveness of human trafficking prevention in the region.
Vietnam is also willing to join dialogues and cooperation programmes on human rights, which it considers as a good chance to exchange views on common concerns. It has established regular bilateral dialogues in the field with several countries and partners such as the US, European Union, Australia, Norway and Switzerland.
The dialogues have proved their effectiveness, contributing not only to promoting understanding and relations between Vietnam and partners but also serving as a channel for exchanging their experiences and solving many human rights issues of common concern.
Accompanying Vietnam’s efforts, the UN Development Programme and many partner countries have provided support for the country through the implementation of projects to promote the enforcement of international conventions in the country in the periods 2008-2011 and 2012-2016, and many other cooperation programmes to protect and promote human rights.-VNA
