Vietnam makes positive contributions to HRC’s 49th session

Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son made the statement at the 49th regular session of the HRC that was held both in person and in offline formats from February 28 to April 1.

Apart from the high-level segment running from February 28 to March 2, the session also included an urgent debate on the ongoing human rights situation in Ukraine, along with many panel discussions and dialogues relating to human rights in other countries. It adopted the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) reports of 13 countries and 35 resolutions.

In a pre-recorded speech given at the high-level segment on March 2, the Vietnamese diplomat assured members of the country’s readiness to work closely alongside other member states and stakeholders to uphold the principles of the UN Charter and international law. This is along with strengthening the efficiency and effectiveness of the HRC through dialogue, co-operation, and mutual respect. It will therefore promote the enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms in a comprehensive and holistic manner, in all civil, political, economic, social, cultural, and developmental aspects.

“Our efforts will focus in particular on the protection of vulnerable groups and combating violence and discrimination against them; the promotion of gender equality, especially for women and girls in the era of digital transformation; and on protection and promotion of human rights in addressing global issues, especially climate change,” the Minister added.

Upon addressing the meetings, the Vietnamese delegation highlighted the country’s policies, engagement in international co-operation, and numerous achievements in terms of promoting and protecting human rights towards the realisation of the Sustainable Development Goals.

Ambassador Le Thi Tuyet Mai, head of Vietnam’s permanent mission to the UN, the World Trade Organisation (WTO), and other international organisations in Geneva, stressed the country’s consistent implementation and outstanding attainments with regard to human rights protection.

She therefore called on all nations and the HRC to enhance co-operation and dialogue in a bid to substantively promote human rights in reality, as opposed to going down the route of  criticising certain countries on the basis of imprecise and completely unverified information.

Furthermore, the Vietnamese delegation and the core group for climate change and human rights, including the Philippines and Bangladesh, with the support of 102 countries, delivered a joint speech stressing that effective actions around the world that can resolve root causes of climate change. Indeed, these measures can also be seen as being critical to promoting and protecting human rights.

They also called for greater financial and technical assistance to be provided to developing countries in order to help them cope with the negative impact of climate change.

The country has been actively involved in the drafting of documents which were adopted by the HRC at this session, including a resolution on equitable, timely, and universal access to COVID-19 vaccines.

Moreover, Vietnam and other ASEAN member states delivered some joint remarks regarding the importance of policies and public services to protecting economic, cultural, and social rights to aid with post-pandemic recovery. This is in addition to equitable, full, and timely access by all countries to COVID-19 vaccines at a reasonable cost; UN human rights procedures and mechanisms; and technical co-operation and capacity building.