Fri. Mar 29th, 2024

Vietnam has been doing its utmost to ensure the full enjoyment of
human rights and freedoms for its population, Deputy Foreign Minister
Nguyen Quoc Cuong affirmed when addressing the high level segment of the
28th session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland on
March 3.

Following is the full text of his Statement.

“Mr. President,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

At the outset, on behalf of the Vietnamese Delegation, I wish to
congratulate H.E. Ambassador Joachim Rucker on your position as the
President of the Human Rights Council. I am convinced that Mr. President
and the Bureau will ensure the success of the High Level Segment of the
28 th Session and the work of the Human Rights Council throughout
2015, contributing to the credibility of the Human Rights Council as the
most important body in dealing with human rights at global level.

Mr. President,
Vietnam highly values the role of the Human Rights Council and
believes that the Human Rights Council, after almost 10 years since its
establishment, has been playing a central role in promoting the respect
for and the protection of human rights in all countries. Based on a
balanced and comprehensive agenda, the Human Rights Council has
significantly helped raise the international community’s awareness and
build a more objective and comprehensive approach on human rights.
Furthermore, the Human Rights Council has, basically, provided timely
responses to the international community’s major concerns on human
rights, including crisis and serious violations of human rights in the
whole world. It is particularly noted that, the Human Rights Council’s
Universal Periodic Review, though still new, has provided an effective
mechanism for Member States, big or small, to review and engage in
comprehensive dialogues on their situation of human rights, and helped
ensure the protection and promotion of human rights and fundamental
freedoms in a cooperative and constructive manner.

As a
member of the Human Rights Council, Vietnam has actively and
constructively played its role with the highest responsibility, and
wishes to substantively contribute to the work of the Council. We
support dialogues and cooperation, uphold international laws, promote
consensus, work to reduce confrontation and imposition of opinion in
discussions at the Council. In this endeavor, we wish that the Human
Rights Council, its subsidiary bodies and the Secretariat will further
improve their effectiveness while ensuring transparency and
impartiality, respecting fully the General Assembly resolution 60/251,
the Human Rights Council resolution 5/1 and 5/2. This is definitely the
key to reducing confrontation and politicization that sometimes dominate
discussions at the Council. Vietnam would also expect the Council and
its subsidiary bodies to better support developing countries, given
their various challenges in socio – economic development, and in
ensuring the human rights in practice. Furthermore, we believe that the
Council should pay more attention and allocate additional resources to
issues related to the rights of vulnerable groups, particularly women,
children, ethnic minority groups, aging and persons with disabilities…
This is the area on which Vietnam would place emphasis in the coming
years at the Human Rights Council.

Mr. President,
Vietnam shares the views that the full enjoyment of human rights is the
common aspiration of humankind, also the universal value and standards
that all of us strive for. Human rights have a close link with other
global issues, particularly the question of peace, security and
development. Given ongoing discussions on the Post-2015 Development
Agenda and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), how to address the
interdependence between peace, security, development and human rights is
a burning issue of strategic importance. We believe that the Post-2015
Development Agenda should be comprehensive, taking into consideration of
specific circumstances of each state, its capacity and level of
development, while maintaining the balance between growth, sustainable
development and promotion of human rights in accordance with recognized
standards. Vietnam will continue to take active part in this process.

Mr. President,
Vietnam has placed the protection
and promotion of human rights and freedoms one of the three pillars of
the Doi Moi and our national development. We have been doing our utmost
to ensure the full enjoyment of human rights and freedoms for our
population. Indeed, our achievements in socio – economic development and
our cooperation with international community have facilitated the
protection and promotion of human rights in practice. Our efforts and
achievements in human rights have been widely recognized, particularly
during dialogues of the 2 nd Cycle of our Universal Periodic Review at
the Human Rights Council. Last year, notwithstanding domestic
difficulties partly due to the global economic crisis, Vietnam made
great efforts to gradually recover its economy, alleviate poverty,
ensure social security and other fundamental rights of our people,
particularly those living in far, remote and extreme difficult areas.

Additionally, Vietnam has been implementing actively,
proactively and with the highest level of responsibility our UPR’s
accepted recommendations, as well as the voluntary pledges we had made
in support of our candidacy to the Human Rights Council. As a
demonstration of our strong commitment to the protection and promotion
of human rights in accordance with the international standards, in 2014,
Vietnam ratified the Convention against Torture and other Cruel,
Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment and the Convention on the
Rights of Persons with Disabilities, presented its National Report on
the implementation of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and
Cultural Rights. At present, we are intensively preparing for our
National Report on the implementation of the International Covenant on
Civil and Political Rights and the Convention on the Elimination of all
Forms of Discrimination against Women.

We are fully aware that
much needs to be done to ensure the full enjoyment of all aspects of
human rights for our people. Our highest priority currently is to
improve the legal system, policies and institutions to ensure the
protection and promotion of human rights, particularly build
legislations on human rights to implement the Constitution as amended in
2013. Due to budget constraints, there will be challenges ahead in
ensuring fundamental rights for our people in practice, including rights
of labors, social security of vulnerable groups such as women, children
and persons with disabilities. We look forward to continued cooperation
and support of the international community and the U.N. entities on
this matter.

Last but not least, I wish to reaffirm the strong
commitment of the Government of Vietnam to the protection and promotion
of human rights, and to cooperation with all Member States,
international organizations and other related parties in the sprit of
dialogue, cooperation toward an effective, transparent and credible
Human Rights Council.

I thank you, Mr. President.”-VNA

By vivian