Vietnam respects and fully participates in UPR process

Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Dang Hoang Giang highlighted Vietnam’s respect, full participation, and consistent attention to the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) process while addressing a workshop in Hanoi on July 14.

The event, held by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the UN Development Programme (UNDP), introduced good practices and methods for building a voluntary mid-term report on the implementation of the UPR third cycle recommendations.

It was the first in a series of activities preparing for the compilation of Vietnam’s voluntary mid-term report and promoting the realisation of the master plan for implementing the UPR third cycle recommendations, approved by the Prime Minister in 2019.

In his opening remarks, Giang affirmed that Vietnam strongly supports multilateralism with the UN playing a central role, along with the principles of equality, transparency, non-discrimination, practical dialogue, and effective cooperation in the field of human rights.

Vietnam has respected, fully taken part in, and paid consistent attention to the UPR process, he said, stressing its strong commitment to continue making active and responsible contributions to the UN Human Rights Council (HRC).

The country is running for a seat in the HRC in the 2023 - 2025 term, he noted.

The voluntary mid-term report will provide true and comprehensive information reflecting Vietnam’s commitments and consistent efforts to continue maintaining socio-economic stability and ensuring human rights, especially for vulnerable groups amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Giang said.

Kamal Malhotra, UN Resident Coordinator in Vietnam, welcomed the country’s strong commitment to multilateralism and human rights protection as seen in its decision to make a voluntary mid-term report.

The UN highly values Vietnam’s proactive actions to cope with challenges in human rights protection and promotion, along with its readiness to accept and implement the recommendations in certain fields, he said, adding that UN agencies in Vietnam are proud to have jointly helped the country implement at least 75 percent of the accepted recommendations.

He also suggested Vietnam protect vulnerable groups and guarantee human rights in digital transformation, affirming UN agencies’ continued enhancement of cooperation to assist the Vietnamese Government and people in this regard.
At the workshop, experts from the HRC Secretariat and the foreign ministries of Thailand, the Republic of Korea, and Japan shared experience in implementing UPR recommendations and making voluntary mid-term reports. They also gave opinions on the report compilation in Vietnam.

Since the UPR mechanism was set up in 2008, Vietnam has participated in three UPR cycles - in 2009, 2014, and 2019. It is working to implement the recommendations it accepted under the UPR third cycle.

Since each UPR cycle lasts for about five years, to make timely updates on their recommendation implementation and demonstrate their sense of responsibility towards the UPR mechanisms and the human rights promotion, some countries submit mid-term reports to the HRC, which is a voluntary practice highly valued by the international community./.