World Peace Council hails Vietnamese human rights policy

Iraklis Tsavdaridis, executive secretary of the World Peace Council (WPC), has commended Vietnam’s consistent policy on human rights protection and promotion.

Addressing the sidelines of the 57th session of the UN Human Rights Council (HRC), Tsavdaridis said the nation has always paid attention to human rights and the protection of those rights, firstly the right to live in peace, welfare rights, and the right to the continuous improvement of living standards. This can clearly be seen in the country’s success in eliminating extreme poverty in the past.

This represents the biggest human rights achievement the nation has recorded so far, he said. Tsavdaridis also highlighted the country’s improved international rankings despite a host of challenges in terms of national construction and development, as well as affirming support for Vietnamese people’s right to choose their path of development and progress.

The HRC on September 27 adopted the outcomes of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR)’s fourth cycle for Vietnam as part of its 57th regular session.

This adoption marked the completion of the fourth cycle review regarding the protection and promotion of human rights locally, thereby paving the way for the next phase of implementing recommendations.

The event attracted around 90 representatives from various countries and both international and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) with consultative status to the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), including Vietnamese NGOs.

In a recent media interview, Nguyen Thuy Hien, deputy director of the Centre for Women and Development (CWD) under the Vietnam Women’s Union, said in her remarks at the event that she had spoken of the Vietnamese Government’s efforts in promoting gender equality and women’s and children’s rights, as well as facilitating the engagement of socio-political organizations and NGOs in this regard.

The Vietnam Women’s Union has also played an important role in poverty reduction and national target programmes, thereby contributing to the implementation of the country’s commitments on women, gender equality, and development, Hien said. Indeed the CWD has been invited to give feedback on reports on the enforcement of the Law on Gender Equality and the drafting process of the revised law on human trafficking which will be submitted to the upcoming National Assembly session for approval.

Duong Thi Nga, a representative of the Vietnam Peace and Development Foundation, emphasized co-operation between ministries and agencies throughout the UPR process, adding that the fourth cycle offers an opportunity for social organizations and the foundation in particular to make substantive contributions to the work.