Vietnam’s successful election to UNHCR

On the early morning of November 13  (Vietnam time), Vietnam was officially elected by the UN General Assembly to become one of the 14 new members of its Human Rights Council for the first time.

It got 184 out of 192 votes in favour – a record high compared to other candidates.

Excerpts from a VOV interview with Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh.

Mr Minh: Protecting and promoting human rights is one of the three major pillars in UN operations in addition to peace, international security and development cooperation.

To ensure human rights, the UN General Assembly set up a Human Rights Council in 2006 to replace the previous Human Rights Committee which was criticized for its ineffective operations.

The 47 member UNHRC represents all regions and is elected every three years, assuming the most important responsibility of protecting and promoting human rights in the world.

The council has subordinate operational mechanisms including the Advisory Committee, the Office of High Commissioner for Human Rights, 48 special rapporteurs, independent experts and working groups.

Under the UNHCR Universal Periodic Review (UPR), all member nations are required to submit their annual reports on the human rights situation.

Vietnam’s election to the UNHRC is a step forward on the way to carry out its external policy of being a friend, a reliable partner and a responsible member of the International community as defined in the 11^th National Party Congress resolution and Party Central Committee’s Resolution 22.

This indicates the Party and State’s views of human rights as common aspirations of humankind and part of their consistent policy of respecting and ensuring human rights and promoting international cooperation in this field.

Becoming a UNHRC member with an overwhelming vote is of great significance, showing Vietnam has won trust from UN member nations.

The International community has acknowledged and applauded Vietnam’s renewal achievements and its great efforts in building a law-governed and democratic State to ensure citizens’ rights and its successful implementation of UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

The human rights issue is a major subject in the constitutional amendments aimed at acknowledging, guaranteeing, ensuring citizens’ rights and constitutionalizing principles on human rights in the international convention human rights treaties.

Vietnam’s successful election to the UNHRC shows its stronger position in ASEAN, APEC and ASEM, especially when it is actively preparing to host the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) General Assembly meeting by 2015 and the APEC Summit by 2017.

VOV: Could you please elaborate on Vietnam’s orientations after its election to the UNHRC?

Mr Minh: In the spirit of deeper and more comprehensive international integration, Vietnam, as a full UNHRC member, will actively contribute to the council’s affairs, pursue the Party and State’s polices on human rights and fulfill its obligations and commitments to the council.

With its UNHRC membership, the country will share its experience in ensuring human rights, food security and social welfare, building a law-governed State, enhancing the National Assembly (NA)’s role and judiciary reform and implementing the MDGs in defiance of misinformation on human rights and democracy.

Vietnam will work closely together with other UN members to make constructive and responsible contributions to the human rights issue of international concern, promote dialogues and international cooperation in a balanced and comprehensive approach to the human rights issue to improve the council’s operational mechanisms.

The country’s engagement in UNHRC affairs will allow for its deeper participation in UN multilateral mechanisms in the context of international integration.

VOV: Thank you very much.