Primary school students in Sa Pa town of Lao Cai province. (Illustrative image. Source: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) –Vietnam had implemented 147 out of 182 recommendations it accepted at thesecond UN Human Right Council’s Universal Periodic Regulations (UPR) review, andpartly realised four other recommendations between June 2014 to December 31,2016, said a Foreign Ministry’s official at a conference on June 29.
Hoang Thi Thanh Nga,head of the Department for International Organisations under the ForeignMinistry disclosed the information at the conference held by the ForeignMinistry and the UNDP in Vietnam to publicise Vietnam’s implementation ofrecommendations under the second UPR review.
At the second UPRreview of Vietnam held on February 5, 2014 at the UN Human Right Council’sheadquarters, 106 countries put forward 227 recommendations, of which Vietnamaccepted 182 as the rest were not suitable to the country’s specific situationand circumstances.
The 182 acceptedrecommendations are in seven areas: reform of the legal system relating tohuman rights; further consolidation and protection of human rights in economic,social, cultural, civil and political aspects; ensuring of human rights ofvulnerable groups; education on human rights; continued participation in internationalstandards on human rights; implementation of international obligationsregarding human rights; and international cooperation on human rights.
Between 2014-2016,dozens of important legal documents related to human rights and citizen rightswere approved to specify regulations of the 2013 Constitution and carry out internationalconventions that Vietnam has joined, she said.
Meanwhile, as a resultof the implementation of recommendations on further consolidation andprotection of human rights in economic, social, cultural, civil and politicalaspects, annual average per capita income in Vietnam rose from 1,900 USD in2013 to 2,215 USD in 2016. The number of people enjoying monthly socialallowance and health insurance has increased, while 25.05 percent of totalcommunes nationwide have been recognised as new-styled rural areas.
Residents in areasaffected by natural disasters as well as four localities suffering the seaenvironment incidents have received timely support, while the national strategyon natural disaster prevention and mitigation to 2020 has been sped up, saidNga.
Social organisationsand citizens have become more involved in the monitoring and supervision of theenforcement of laws and policies, while access to Internet is facilitated toallow citizens to exercise the right to freedom of speech, with about 50million people in Vietnam using the Internet, accounting for 52 percent of thepopulation. The State has created favourable conditions for religiousorganisations’ operation.
At the same time,Vietnam has effectively implemented many national programmes to supportvulnerable groups, said Nga, listing as examples the national programme ofaction on gender equality for 2016-2020, the national programme of action forthe elderly for 2012-2020; the national programme of action for children in2012-2020, the special policy on supporting socio-economic development inethnic minority and mountainous regions in 2016-2020.
The officialunderlined that public awareness of human rights has been greatly enhanced,especially among young people.
On October 28, 2014,the parliament of Vietnam approved the Convention against Torture and OtherCruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CAT) and the Convention onthe Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). Vietnam has become officialmember of seven out of nine major UN conventions on human rights.
The country has alsoshowed strong performance as a member of the UN Economic and Social Council(ECOSOC) for the 2016-2018 term, the Executive Council of the UN Organisationfor Education, Science and Culture (UNESCO) in the 2015-2019 tenure, while workingas a responsible member of the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on HumanRights (AICHR), said Nga.
Addressing the event, PhamSanh Chau, Assistant to the Foreign Minister, said that as a proactive andresponsible member of the international community, Vietnam always attachesgreat important to and fully implements its commitments in the UPR mechanism,especially recommendations in the second UPR review that Vietnam has accepted.
Lauding Vietnam’scoordination with UN human rights agencies in implement the UPR, KamalMalhotra, UN Resident Coordinator in Vietnam and head of the UNDP in Vietnamsaid that the formation of an effective supervision system over the UPR issignificance in tracking progress of the work.
He also stressed theimportance of the engagement of social organisations in the UPR implementation,contributing to protecting human rights of individuals, helping all people tobetter exercise their rights.-VNA
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