Protecting and promoting human rights in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic was the theme of a workshop jointly held by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Hanoi on December 15.
Attended by more than 100 representatives of ministries, departments, and localities, along with research institutes, social organisations, and the foreign diplomatic corps in Vietnam, the workshop marked Human Rights Day on December 10.
Assistant to the Minister of Foreign Affairs Pham Quang Hieu touched on the major challenges brought about by COVID-19 in the world and in Vietnam over the last year that have disrupted the enjoyment of fundamental human rights.
In such a context, the Vietnamese Government has rolled out policies and measures in a prompt and transparent manner, with the priority on bringing the pandemic under control to protect citizens’ health and on fully implementing international commitments on human rights, including recommendations it accepted under the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) mechanism, Hieu noted.
He affirmed that the Vietnamese Government has paid due attention to protecting and supporting the vulnerable during the pandemic and introduced ideas to bolster international cooperation in battling COVID-19.
Of particular note, the country proposed the International Day of Epidemic Preparedness be observed annually on December 27, in an attempt to raise public awareness and cooperation in epidemic preparedness and fighting.
The resolution was approved by the UN General Assembly on December 7 and co-sponsored by 107 nations.
Vietnam’s commitments and efforts in protecting and promoting human rights, notably the implementation of recommendations under the UPR mechanism, third cycle, were acknowledged in speeches by delegates at the workshop.
Delegates also discussed legal issues surrounding human rights restrictions during the time of the pandemic, the enjoyment of human rights in cyberspace, and the role and contribution of every element in society in observing COVID-19 preventive measures.
They shared information and experience and put forward solutions to protect and promote human rights against the backdrop of COVID-19, which will be integrated into the implementation of recommendations under the UPR mechanism.
The MoFA has joined hands with the UNDP in Vietnam to organise workshops commemorating Human Rights Day since 2015./.
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Vietnam considers human rights as key in shaping the pandemic response, both for the public health emergency and the broader impact on people’s lives and livelihoods.
The world is facing an unprecedented crisis. At its core is a global public health emergency on a scale not seen for a century, requiring a global response with far-reaching consequences for our economic, social and political lives
The priority is to save lives
Guaranteeing human rights for everyone poses a challenge for every country around the world to a differing degree.
The public health crisis is fast becoming an economic and social crisis and a protection and human rights crisis rolled into one
The COVID-19 crisis has exacerbated the vulnerability of the least protected in society
Vietnam ensures everyone is protected and included in the response to this crisis
Vietnam is making extraordinary efforts to combat the Covid-19 and ensure the human rights of people
We must deal with the economic and social impact alongside the public health response
Government is rightly focused on controlling the spread of the virus and saving lives
it is important to prioritise measures to guarantee basic economic and social rights
Around the world, millions of people already live hand to mouth. Before this crisis, street protests against inequalities and falling living standards were common. People were frustrated and angry
When the health care systems of most powerful countries in the world have failed to curb the spread of COVID-19, the South Asian country of Vietnam performed an outstanding work against the pandemic cutting swath through the globe.
Early awareness of the pandemic, appropriate, drastic and people-centric measures, as well as public support
The country has successfully mobilized the strength and the participation of the whole political system and community in making pandemic prevention a priority, preventing the risk from outside, zoning off areas, treating diseases effectively, as well as sacrificing immediate economic benefits to protect people's health and lives
The government was proactive, not subjective in its coronavirus measures and "fought the pandemic like fighting an enemy."
Vietnam developed its own testing kits for COVID-19 as early as January and managed to improve it to provide result within an hour with a 90% accuracy
behaviors related to the non-compliance with prevention and control measures, reactions against officers in charge of epidemic prevention and control, the spread of untruthful information causing public concern and social instability, recycling of used medical masks, production of fake goods, goods hoarding to hike prices, and trade fraud, among others, will be strictly dealt with.
Further attention will be paid to help Vietnamese people, especially the vulnerable, young people and patients stranded abroad, return home.
The government has implemented many measures to support the economy, remove difficulties for production and business, such as restructuring bank loans, freezing debt, and reducing or exempting loan interest payments
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