Deputy PM addresses 52nd session of UN Human Rights Council

In his speech, Deputy PM Quang said the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action (VDPA) on human rights are solid frameworks for the international community to jointly enhance awareness and action to promote and protect human rights, and that many important achievements have been obtained over decades.

However, those achievements are facing increasingly fierce challenges such as wars, conflicts, violence, poverty, inequality and injustice, natural disasters, epidemics, climate change, environmental degradation, food security and water security-related risks, and consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic, he said.

He took this occasion to express deep sympathies to Turkish and Syrian people on their losses in the recent earthquake. He also informed participants about Vietnam’s concrete and quick assistance for the governments and people of the two countries.

Quang highlighted the determination, efforts, and achievements of Vietnam – a new UNHRC member – in making reforms, boosting socio-economic development, ensuring social security, and safeguarding and promoting human rights, especially the maintenance of fast growth, the widespread coverage of health insurance, a rate of women’s political participation among the world’s highest, and the continuous improvement in the human development index rankings.

Underlining Vietnam’s motto when joining the UNHRC – “Respect and Understanding. Dialogue and Cooperation. All human rights for all people,” the deputy PM called on countries to understand and respect one another’s differences, stay united, hold dialogue, and cooperate to resolve global issues on the basis of multilateralism, international law, and the UN Charter.

He stressed the need to focus on implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the commitments on climate change adaptation.

To ensure the full enjoyment of human rights around the globe, the UNHRC should play the central role in promoting constructive dialogue, equality, and effective cooperation among countries on the basis of mutual respect and understanding and with an overarching approach, he said.

At the discussion, Quang suggested the UDHR’s 75th anniversary and the VDPA’s 30th anniversary be celebrated with a UNHRC document to reaffirm the major and inclusive goals and values of those statements and the international community’s joint commitment for the sake of humanity.