Viet Nam Human Rights
Human rights are the universal value of mankind and the outcome of struggles throughout human thousand-year history. Today, ensuring the practice of human rights is the common goal of the international community. What is more, human rights are reflected in policies of countries and agendas of international organizations.
Since the foundation of the modern Vietnam, it has persistently pursued its policy of honoring and promoting its citizens’ rights and freedom. In so doing, the State of Vietnam has strengthened international cooperation on human rights by adopting international conventions and strictly implementing international commitments on human rights. As a result, the Vietnamese people have now enjoyed all basic human rights and freedom.
 |
| National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Sinh Hung at the signing ceremony of the revised 1992 Constitution, which was adopted at the sixth session of the 13th National Assembly. |
Boosting international cooperation on human rights
Over the past years, Vietnam has continuously striven for its citizens’ human rights and freedom. In doing so, Vietnam has attached importance to its cooperation on human rights with foreign countries and international organizations on the basis of equality and mutual respect and understanding.
Today, as Vietnam enhances international integration, its cooperation with other countries and international organizations is seen as more open.
Vietnam has now had the official Dialogue Mechanism on human rights with five countries and partner party, namely the USA, the EU, Switzerland, Norway and Australia, and a number of unofficial exchange channels on human rights. Vietnam is also seen as more active in multilateral forums on human rights and now holds a chair in the UN Human Rights Council.
Vietnam’s participation in international conventions and implementation of international commitments on human rights aims to ensure the practice of the basic and general human rights in Vietnam, and successfully apply the universally recognized regulations on human rights to Vietnam’s laws and policies in accordance with the country’s specific conditions.
Vietnam’s effort to implement international conventions and commitments
So far, Vietnam has adopted seven out of the nine international conventions on human rights. Another fact is that the country was the second in the world and the first in Asia that adopted the Convention on Children’s Rights. At the beginning of 2015, it approved the UN Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.
At the same time, the country has participated in 20 conventions of the International Labor Organization (ILO) on rights at work, which include five out of the eight ILO fundamental conventions. This is seen as a high level of commitment in comparison to other countries, including developed ones, which has demonstrated the great effort of Vietnam in ensuring human rights and other fundamental rights for the Vietnamese people.
In addition to its active participation in international conventions on human rights, Vietnam has seriously implemented the responsibility and duty of a member state. Over the past years, Vietnam has legalized a large number of regulations of international conventions on human rights; actively disseminated and popularized international conventions on human rights via the mass media across the country as well as applied part of the conventions to the curricula of educational facilities; and regularly handed national reports relating to the government’s implementation of the ratified conventions and the practice of the ratified conventions in life. Vietnam has so far submitted 16 national reports to the involved international committees for human rights and these reports have been highly valued.
What is more, Vietnam has actively been realizing other international commitments on human rights, particularly the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of the UN Council for Human Rights. Vietnam conducted the first UPR in May 2009, and it then accepted 96 out of 123 recommendations. At the second UPR in February 2014, it accepted 182 out of 227 recommendations. In general, Vietnam has demonstrated a good sense of responsibility in preparing the reports, participating in dialogues and accepting recommendations. More importantly, it has seriously implemented the recommendations from the international community.
Recently, the Vietnamese Prime Minister approved a general plan on the implementation of the 182 recommendations, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was entrusted to lead the coordination in realizing the plan.
Vietnam’s contributions to building the value of human rights
Via international cooperation on human rights, Vietnam has played an active role and contributed significantly to the common effort to build the value of human rights on the regional and global scale. The new foreign policy articulated in the Party’s resolutions defines that Vietnam is a responsible member of the international community. In doing so, Vietnam actively participates in international arrangements as well as contributes to the process of building international regulations and standards. Vietnam’s contribution is seen in its serious participation in dialogues with partners and its international cooperation in narrowing gaps and avoiding conflicts in human rights issues among countries. Vietnam also backs a comprehensive and harmonious approach to rights of individuals in relations with rights of organizations. This is clearly reflected in its participation in multilateral mechanisms of the UN and ASEAN.
In fact, Vietnam’s effort and contribution has been well recognized and highly valued by other countries and international organizations. Countries hailed its efforts to actively participate in international conventions, and seriously implement international recommendations and well prepare national reports. A number of countries, including developed ones, wish to learn Vietnam’s experiences, and seek the country’s consultancy in dealing with complex and sensitive issues on human rights.
However, Vietnam also faces a number of difficulties in participating international conventions on human rights and implementing international commitments. The first difficulty is the shortage of human resources, especially experts on human rights; as a result, the country meets difficulties in performing the duties of a convention member country, especially the duty of preparing country reports and coordinating activities among agencies.
To better do its job, Vietnam will focus on such tasks as swiftly and seriously deploying its commitments and duties to promote human rights; adopting more international conventions on human rights; intensifying its participation and heightening its responsibility in international forums on human rights, particularly UN and ASEAN mechanisms; enhancing coordination and consultancy with other countries to guarantee the effectiveness in realizing its adopted conventions and recommendations; accelerating the preparation of country reports; studying the feasibility and necessity to build a database collecting and updating the human rights situation; and training human resources, especially experts, on human rights.
It can be said that Vietnam has much to do in the coming time in order to successfully execute all commitments of the international conventions on human rights. Nevertheless, the universally-recognized effort and resolve of the Government, local authorities, sectors and people over the past decades make us believe that Vietnam will successfully fulfill all international commitments and contribute more to promoting the value of human rights on the regional and global scale.
All comments [ 16 ]
Vietnam steadfastly pursues the policy of ensuring full enforcement of basic rights and freedom for each citizen
Vietnam has been expanding international human right cooperation and carrying out its international commitments on human rights in a serious and open manner
Vietnam is currently engaged in official human rights dialogue mechanism with five partners, including the US, the European Union, Switzerland, Norway and Australia, not to mention other unofficial relevant channels.
The country has become more active in multilateral forums on human rights in its capacity as a member of the UN Human Rights Council.
Joining international treaties and realising commitments on human rights are one of the key tasks Vietnam has set, with a view to meeting basic and universal standards on human rights and incorporating globally-recognised regulations into Vietnam’s human rights laws in a way that suits the country’s specific situation.
Vietnam has joined seven out of nine essential international treaties on human rights.
In particular, the country was the second in the world and the first in Asia to become a member of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Vietnam’s efforts are not only shown in the number of international human rights conventions to which it is a member but also the high sense of responsibility for enforcing them, including integrating the conventions’ content into domestic laws, raising public awareness of their contents on the mass media and school curricula, and seriously fulfilling compulsory obligations to build and submit national reports.
Vietnam’s contributions are reflected in its approach that upholds dialogues and constructive cooperation to narrow differences and avoid confrontations in human rights issues.
Countries worldwide have welcomed Vietnam’s efforts in joining and seriously abiding by international conventions, UPR recommendations and thorough preparations for devising and presenting national reports.
the State of Vietnam has joined almost international convention on human rights and strictly implementing international commitments on this field
right, that is one of the main factors which brought Vietnam a member of the UN Human Right Council
the State of Vietnam has continuously striven for its citizens’ human rights and freedom for the past years. As a result, the Vietnamese people have now enjoyed all basic human rights and freedom.
Vietnam has played an active role and contributed significantly to the common effort to build the value of human rights on the regional and global scale.
Vietnam actively participates in international arrangements as well as contributes to the process of building international regulations and standards.
in the coming time, Vietnam should intensify its participation and heighten its responsibility in international forums on human rights, particularly UN and ASEAN mechanisms.
Your comments