Viet Nam Human Rights
Vietnam contributing to ensuring human rights in the world
4/3/16
On the sidelines of the 31st Regular
Session of the Human Rights Council, Vietnamese Deputy Foreign Minister Ha Kim
Ngoc offered an interview, reviewing two years of Vietnam’s membership of the
UN Human Rights Council.
Reporter: How do you assess Vietnam’s participation in the UN Human Rights
Council?
Deputy Foreign Minister Ha Kim Ngoc: After two thirds of its
tenure as a member of the UN Human Rights Council, Vietnam has demonstrated its
image and role in the leading UN human rights council, and improved its status
in the international community.
Although this is the first time Vietnam has participated in the
UN Human Rights Council, it has proved to be an active and responsible member.
Together with other members of the council, it has successfully resolved a
number of international issues and challenges in human rights.
Every year, Vietnam sends a high-level delegation to attend the
Regular Session of the UN Human Rights Council. In this forum, Vietnam
reaffirms its message of protecting and promoting human rights in the country
as well as tries its best to contribute to common efforts to deal with human
rights issues around the globe. At this session, the participating Vietnamese
delegation delivered reports in general discussion sessions and symposiums on
such issues as sustainable development, impacts of climate change on human
rights, and implementation of international commitments on human rights. On the
sidelines, Vietnam and Australia also hosted a seminar on creating favorable
conditions for people with disabilities to work, and presided over a session on
the impacts of climate change on people’s health. Via such activities, we were
able to express our interests and priorities, learn lessons and experiences
from international friends, and call on international organizations and
countries to support Vietnam’s efforts to ensure human rights for its people.
Vietnam has also shown its active image and high sense of
responsibility when it seriously implemented the Universal Periodic Review
(UPR), the most important regime of the UN Human Rights Council. The UN has
highly valued Vietnam as it has shown great efforts and high sense of
responsibility in working on reviews and reports and holding dialogues with
other countries on human rights, as well as seriously implementing our
already-accepted international commitments to human rights. Particularly, the
Vietnamese Prime Minister approved the General Plan to implement 182 out of the
227 proposals and recommendations from the UPR in order to coordinate closely
and comprehensively among ministries and sectors in executing the commitments.
At this point, Vietnam is acting as ASEAN’s coordinator in the
UN Human Rights Council, and is a member of several subgroups on invalids’
rights and the impacts of climate change on people. With its high credibility
in the Asia-Pacific Group, Vietnam has been the region’s representative since
the beginning of 2016, working on regional human rights situations, and
petitions related to human rights submitted by subgroups.
What is more, Vietnam often holds dialogues in a constructive
and frank manner with the High Commissioner for Human Rights, and expert
speakers on human rights of the UN Human Rights Council. We also welcome
special speakers and experts of the UN Human Rights Council to Vietnam.
Reporter: As the Human Rights
Council often deals with complex and sensitive issues, how does Vietnam react
and what has Vietnam contributed to dealing with such issues?
Deputy Foreign Minister
Ha Kim Ngoc: The
world’s situation has become more and more complicated over the past years,
which has indeed had an intense impact on human rights. The UN Human Rights
Council is the place for countries and groups of countries with shared
interests to strongly debate various tough human rights issues related to
conflicts, extremism, migration crises, epidemics and climate change. Although
the UN Human Rights Council handles these issues well, it is sometimes
politically influenced and pressured by one or by groups of countries during
discussions. Some countries focus heavily on civil and political aspects but
bypass socio-economic development issues; therefore, the agenda of sessions is
more or less affected and discussions are seen as incomprehensive.
Vietnam underscores dialogue and cooperation with the aim of
promoting and ensuring human rights on the basis of mutual exchange and respect
while participating in the UN Human Rights Council. Over the past two years, we
have exploited various mechanisms of the UN Human Rights Council to highlight
our viewpoint. In fact, we consider that ensuring human rights is the
responsibility of each country, and that the people of the country should have
the right to decide appropriate approaches to protect and practice human rights
in accordance with the country’s own historical, cultural and economic
situation. The UN Human Rights Council and the UN as a whole should create good
conditions for nations to better ensure and practice human rights in their
countries.
In this spirit, Vietnam frequently calls for dialogue and
cooperation among countries in dealing with common affairs of the UN Human Rights
Council. According to Vietnam’s viewpoint, the current circumstance requires
dialogue and cooperation between and among countries to successfully implement
resolutions and give a timely response to issues on human rights around the
world. Vietnam aims to bridge gaps between members of the UN Human Rights
Council, and has indeed made good results over the past two years.
Dialogue and cooperation have also opened good opportunities for
Vietnam to affirm its position and contribute more to the region, developing
the world and the international community as a whole. Vietnam has made large
contributions in the past two years in such areas as the equal right of
development, anti-violation and anti-discrimination, combatting human
trafficking, and the rights of children, women and people with disabilities.
Vietnam has so far participated in crafting more than 30 resolutions on these
issues, contributing to raising common awareness of human rights.
Reporter: Vietnam is
participating in many multilateral mechanisms. So how does Vietnam’s membership
of the UN Human Rights Council support its multilateral relations activities?
Deputy Foreign Minister
Ha Kim Ngoc: Together
with its participation in various regional and international forums, Vietnam’s
membership of the UN Human Rights Council has reconfirmed the growth of
Vietnam’s diplomacy sector, especially in multilateral relations. Via the
participation in international mechanisms, including the UN Human Rights
Council, Vietnam has improved its status in the international arena.
First, since Vietnam’s joining the UN Human Rights Council,
other countries often ask us for consultancy on various international issues.
Even major powers send their special envoys to Vietnam or Vietnamese
delegations in Geneva and New York to consult us on issues of the UN Human
Rights Council. Vietnam’s opinions are listened to and recognized by them.
Second, as Vietnam actively participates in multilateral forums
and underlines the spirit of dialogue and cooperation in the UN Human Rights
Council, Vietnam can consolidate its foreign policy “Being a friend and
reliable partner of countries in the international community.” Over the past
two years, we have promoted and strengthened friendly relations with all the 46
member nations of the UN Human Rights Council, as well as observing nations
across the world. Vietnam has been seen as a factor to narrow differences
and seek balanced solutions for issues in the UN Human Rights Council.
Third, the membership of the UN Human Rights Council has provided
good conditions for Vietnam to promote its position in international human
rights forums from the regional level to the UN General Assembly. Vietnam has
become mature in dealing with multilateral affairs, and in fact, it has
transferred from its participation to the process of compiling documents of the
UN and other international organizations. Specific contributions of Vietnam in
human rights have been widely recognized by countries in such major
international forums as the Summit for Sustainable Development and COP21 on
climate change.
Fourth, with its joining the UN Human Rights Council and
actively participating in international human rights activities, many countries
across the world have highly valued Vietnam’s efforts, achievements and practices
in human rights. Particularly, the USA recognized Vietnam’s progress in human
rights in the Joint Declaration on Common Vision between Vietnamese General
Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and US President Barack Obama during the Vietnamese
Party chief’s visit to the USA last year. The issue of human rights is also
mentioned increasingly in relations and cooperation between Vietnam and other
countries.
Alongside the abovementioned positive results, we should
comprehend that there are difficulties and challenges in joining the UN Human
Rights Council. But we should also affirm that our joining the UN Human Rights
Council has been the right decision. By doing so, we have had a better chance
to protect our national interests, improve the national position in the international
arena, and facilitate our multilateral relations activities.
In the time to come, Vietnam as a member of the UN Human Rights
Council will strive to improve the practice of human rights in the country for
the sake of the Vietnamese people’s prosperity and happiness, and also heighten
its responsibility to contribute more to ensuring human rights in the world
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All comments [ 10 ]
Viet Nam had made many achievements in ensuring human rights in civil affairs, politics, economics, culture and society which had been recognised by the international community.
The promotion of human rights and the active participation of the people in all aspects of the country's socio-economic life were important factors that led to the success of Viet Nam's renewal process
Viet Nam participates in the UN Human Rights Council for the 2014-16 tenure to make a positive contribution to the international community's joint efforts to promote and protect human rights around the world
Viet Nam believed it was capable of undertaking the role as a member of the UN Human Rights Council
I know that Vietnam committed to contributing to the council's activities to improve its effectiveness, transparency, objectiveness and equality on the basis of dialogue, co-operation, equality and mutual respect
The country's participation in the convention showed its respect and strict implementation of its human rights commitments within the framework of the universal periodic review (UPR), as well as the commitments it made when it voluntarily nominated itself for the UN Human Rights Council
peace, stability and development remain the strong aspirations of the international community, which lay the foundations for the protection and promotion of all human rights and fundamental freedoms.
In its first year as a member of the Human Rights Council, Viet Nam has taken up its role with the highest level of responsibility and substantively contributed to the work of the Council
The legal frameworks have been further strengthened while various socio-economic programmes are implemented to ensure social security and improve the people’s living standards.
Viet Nam is strongly committed to working with member states to ensure that the Council will continue to fulfill its mandates in the interest of each and every human being.
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