UPR report from UN agencies in Vietnam carries non-objective contents

In reply to a reporter's question regarding the nation’s reaction to the contents of the report produced by UN agencies in Vietnam under the fourth cycle of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) Mechanism, Viet said, “We are very disappointed that despite having a full presence in Vietnam and long-term, comprehensive cooperation with Vietnamese departments, ministries, sectors and localities, the UN agencies' report under the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) cycle 4 contains many false and unverified contents, with many assessments that are not objective, unbalanced, and do not accurately and fully reflect the situation, efforts and achievements of Vietnam in protecting and promoting human rights."

According to the deputy spokesperson, in recent times the process of making the country’s UPR National Report cycle 4 has been carried out seriously, comprehensively, and with the full participation of relevant parties as well as UN agencies in the nation.

However, UN agencies' report was not made in a transparent manner, nor was it commensurate with both Vietnam's co-operation willingness and the national report making process. As a result, the report completely does not reflect the true spirit and practice of co-operation between the country and the UN, along with the co-operation priorities that the country and UN development agencies have agreed upon.

"We believe that in the future, cooperative activities between Vietnam and UN development agencies in Vietnam need to be implemented in accordance with their functions and tasks of relevant agencies as well as priority needs of Vietnam," the deputy spokesperson emphasized.

Also at the press conference, responding to a reporter's question about the Vietnamese stance on the fact that some countries are continuously conducting military exercises in the East Sea at close intervals, the deputy spokesperson stated that the East Sea is one of the crucial waters in the region, therefore maintaining peace, stability, security, maritime safety, and freedom of aviation and navigation in the East Sea is in accordance with international law, including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), and is the common goal, interest, and responsibility of all countries.

Vietnam requests that the activities of relevant parties and countries must be in line with international law, especially the 1982 UNCLOS, and must actively contribute to the implementation of foresaid goals.