Vietnam - An active and responsible member of Universal Declaration of Human Rights
For Vietnam, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the 75th anniversary of its adoption (December 10, 1948-2023) have special significances.
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| At the recent 54th Session of the UN Human Rights Council, Vietnam implemented two initiatives to promote the human right to vaccination, including a Joint Statement and an International Discussion on "Promoting the Human Right to Vaccination". (Photo: QT) |
People as the core goal and driving force
Vietnam upholds human rights, sharing the view that human rights are universal and are the common aspirations and values of all humanity; support dialogue and cooperation between countries and at UN multilateral mechanisms on human rights. Vietnam also emphasizes the promotion and protection of human rights in a comprehensive manner, in accordance with standards which were internationally recognized while respecting the relevant legal regulations of each country.
As an active and responsible member of the UN, ASEAN and the international community, Vietnam always values and has achieved many important achievements in this field, recognized and highly appreciated by the international community.
At the national level, the Party and State of Vietnam always identify people as the core goal, and also the driving force of national construction; people are the center of socio-economic policies; the promotion and protection of human rights is the nature and purpose of the socialist regime and is an important factor for sustainable development, ensuring the country's industrialization and modernization.
One of Vietnam's greatest achievements is regaining and protecting national independence, escaping colonial rule, unifying the country, gradually developing socio-economic development, improving the quality of life and excercisng the human rights of the Vietnamese people. Human rights were affirmed in the Declaration of Independence on September 2, 1945, " All men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness”.
Vietnam's legal system on human rights, including the Constitution, laws and subordinate legal documents is increasingly improving, concretizing and ensuring the basic rights of citizens in the spirit of the UDHR and international conventions on human rights to which Vietnam is a member.
In particular, the 2013 Vietnamese Constitution sets aside a Chapter with 36 Articles that clearly stipulate human rights, basic rights and obligations of citizens. Accordingly, Vietnam has supplemented, amended or promulgated more than 100 new legal documents related to ensuring human rights and civil rights, including a number of important laws such as the Penal Code 2015, Civil Code 2015, Referendum Law 2015, Children Law 2016, Legal Aid Law 2017, Cyber Security Law 2018, Revised Labor Code 2019...
Vietnam has made outstanding progress in poverty reduction, human development and improving people's quality of life. Vietnam has completed most of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) ahead of time and is actively implementing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
According to UN statistics, Vietnam's human development index has increased nearly 46% over the past 30 years, among the countries with the highest growth rate in the world. The literacy rate for ages 15-60 is 97.85% and the literacy rate for ages 15-35 is 99.3%. The average life expectancy of people has reached 73.6 years (2021). In the past 10 years (2010-2020), GDP grew by an average of nearly 6%; Per capita income more than doubled; the poverty rate decreased from 14.2% to less than 3%. The health insurance coverage rate increased rapidly from 60.9% of the population to 90.7%.
The guarantee of Vietnam's human rights is carried out in accordance with the standards of international conventions on human rights to which Vietnam is a member. Vietnam is currently a member of 7/9 important international conventions on human rights. Vietnam is also a member of 25 Conventions of the International Labor Organization (ILO) on workers' rights, including 7/8 basic Conventions.
Vietnam always fully implements its international obligations on human rights, including ensuring the implementation of international commitments on human rights and national reporting.
At the same time, Vietnam actively dialogues and cooperates with the UN's international human rights mechanisms, including conducting three reviews under the UPR Mechanism in 2009, 2014 and 2019 and preparing for the fourth UPR in 2024.
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| Vietnam is increasingly achieving many impressive achievements in ensuring the rights of ethnic minorities, thereby contributing to strengthening our country's reputation in implementing international commitments, especially the CERD Convention. (Source: Communist Review) |
Vietnam's strong commitment and efforts
Notably, Vietnam has been actively participating in regional and international cooperation activities on promoting human rights, as well as activities of the United Nations Human Rights Council, in which has been trusted and elected, performing well as a member of the United Nations Human Rights Council for the 2014-2016 term and currently the 2023-2025 term which is highly appreciated internationally.
During the previous 2014-2016 term as a member of the Council, as well as in the current 2023-2025 term, Vietnam has always actively, positively and responsibly contributed to the general activities of the Council; taking the initiative and drafts the annual Resolution of the Council on climate change and human rights (since 2015).
Vietnam contributes to promoting and ensuring human rights under the motto "Respect and understanding; Dialogue and cooperation. All human rights for all”. In particular, right in the first meeting as a member of the United Nations Human Rights Council for the 2023-2025 term, Vietnam has shown its constructive role and actively contributed by proposing initiatives, presiding over drafting, consulting, proposing the Council to approve by consensus the Resolution on commemorating the 75th anniversary of the UDHR at the 52nd Session of the Council (April 3, 2023), with more than 120 co-sponsors.
Besides, in Southeast Asia, Vietnam has made practical contributions to strengthen solidarity and cooperation in ASEAN on human rights, especially in the process of building the ASEAN Charter and the ASEAN Community, ASEAN Human Rights Declaration, establishing and promoting the operation of ASEAN mechanisms related to human rights, thereby affirming ASEAN's commitments to promote and protect human rights in the region in accordance with the ASEAN Human Rights Declaration which is commonly accepted international standards; creating a framework for strengthening ASEAN cooperation in this field.
In addition to its great achievements, Vietnam faces common human rights challenges as many countries around the world. The legal system and coordination mechanism between human rights agencies and organizations still need to continue to be improved to better ensure people's human rights in the context of common global challenges such as natural disasters, climate change, epidemics... Some countries and international organizations still have different or unbiased views on the human rights situation in Vietnam. Some individuals and organizations engage in activities that take advantage of human rights to distort the truth, causing social instability.
Vietnam needs to adapt and update with new trends and requirements on human rights in the era of globalization. Global challenges such as climate change, epidemics, migration, digital technology gap... have many impacts on people's enjoyment of human rights. Vietnam needs to have policies and measures to protect people's human rights against these new challenges, while taking advantage of new opportunities to improve human rights protection.
Along with better ensuring the human rights of its people, in the coming time, Vietnam needs to continue efforts to maintain active participation and contribution to the activities of the United Nations Human Rights Council as a member of the Council - the most important intergovernmental human rights body of the UN, as well as pushing cooperations with other international human rights mechanisms; contributing to building a world of peace, stability, sustainable development and respect for human rights.
Thus, human rights recognized in the UDHR document issued 75 years ago have been widely recognized in the world as one of the core values of humanity and indicators of human rights achievements. Human development is an important criterion to evaluate the development of a country.
As for Vietnam, since regaining independence more than 78 years ago, Vietnam has always promoted UDHR, participated in most international conventions on human rights and has always committed and made strong efforts in promoting international human rights at both national, regional and international levels.
