Spokesperson speaks on Vietnam’s human rights achievements

Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Le Thi Thu Hang (Photo: VNA)

At the ministry’s regular press conference in Hanoi on December 6, Hang briefed the media about these outstanding achievements which were contained in the country's third-cycle UPR that was officially submitted to the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC).

The UPR is an inter-governmental mechanism of the UNHRC aimed at reviewing issues related to the human rights of all UN member countries. It was made periodically every four or five years to the principle of dialogue, cooperation, equality, objectivity, transparency and construction.

“Vietnam supports the UNHRC’s UPR and is always serious in making the review and implementing the recommendations it accepted in the first-cycle UPR in 2009 and the second-cycle UPR in 2014,” Hang said.

The third-cycle UPR deals comprehensively with the guarantee of human rights in Vietnam since the second-cycle UPR, updates laws and policies pertaining to human rights, reports on the outcomes of ensuring human rights across the board, and screens the implementation of the recommendations Vietnam accepted in the second-cycle UPR. The report also defines prioritized commitments of the country in the coming years.

As by October 10, 2018, Vietnam implemented 175 out of the 182 recommendations it accepted in the second-cycle UPR, or 96.2%. The remaining seven recommendations are being implemented or are being considered for implementation at an appropriate time.

The report lists a number of outstanding achievements of Vietnam in ensuring human rights, including the adoption of the 2013 Constitution and the revision and issuance of over 90 legal documents relating to the guarantee of human rights.

Vietnam’s per capita income has continuously increased and the income of poor households has risen between 15-20%. Meanwhile, the multi-dimensional poverty rate dropped from 9.88% in 2015 to 7.69% last year. Some 38% of ethnic minorities have moved to the group with higher economic conditions (the national level is 28%).

Universal kindergarten education for five-year-old children and universal primary education have been implemented in all 63 cities and provinces. The percentage of women owning enterprises hits 27.8% while the percentage of female National Assembly deputies in the 2016-2021 tenure is 26.71%.

There were achievements in ensuring civil and political rights, including the right to equality before the law, the freedom of the press and the Internet freedom.

People’s religious and spiritual life has been thriving with over 95% of the population leading a spiritual or religious life, Hang said.

* In response to reporters’ queries regarding the conditions of Vietnamese people living in France in the face of protests in the European country, she said that no Vietnamese have been reported as affected in the protests.

Upon the occurrence of the protests, the Embassy of Vietnam in France has kept a close watch on the situation and assigned personnel to watch a hotline to promptly assist Vietnamese citizens in case of difficulties, she said.

The French Ministry of Interior announced that to date, no foreigners have been affected in the incidents, she added.

She noted that the MoFA has instructed the Vietnamese Embassy in France to continue to closely follow the situation and contact local authorised agencies to obtain information and be ready to conduct citizen protection if necessary, as well as apply appropriate measures to warn Vietnamese citizens not to travel to locations of the protests.

In case of emergency, it is recommended to contact the hotline of the Vietnamese Embassy 33 0144 146 400 or the citizen protection hotline 84 981 848 484.

* Regarding the Republic of Korea (RoK)’s adoption of new visa regulations for Vietnamese citizens, she said: We welcome this step from the Republic of Korea and believe it will facilitate the two countries’ people-to-people exchanges and promote tourism and cooperation in trade and investment, thus contributing to strengthening the Vietnam-RoK strategic partnership.”/.

NDO