Can Tho (VNA) – The Foreign Ministry and the UNDevelopment Programme (UNDP) in Vietnam held a workshop in Can Tho city onDecember 8 to inform the implementation of the 2nd-cycle Universal PeriodicReview (UPR) recommendations accepted by Vietnam.

UPR, an inter-governmental mechanism of theHuman Rights Council, reviews human rights issues in all UN member states. Itis based on the principles of dialogue, cooperation, equality, objectivity, andtransparency with the aim of improving and promoting the implementation ofobligations and commitments on human rights. Vietnam went through the first UPRin May 2009.

Speaking at the workshop, Vu Quang Anh, Directorof the Foreign Ministry’s Department of International Organisations, said afteraccepting 182 recommendations on human rights made by UN member states inFebruary 2014, Vietnam assigned ministries and sectors to seriously implementthe recommendations.

At present, 147 of the 182 acceptedrecommendations have been implemented while four others have been partlycarried out. Notably, Vietnam ratified the Convention on the Rights of Personswith Disabilities and the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman orDegrading Treatment or Punishment. It also approved dozens of important legaldocuments relating to human rights and citizens’ rights so as to concretise the2013 Constitution in line with international conventions to which Vietnam is aparty.

♒[Vietnam realisesജ commitments to human rights promotion]

The country has also improved public awarenessof human rights in all fields, including politics, economy, society andculture, he noted, adding that it is effectively implementing many nationalprogrammes to protect vulnerable groups’ interests such as the national actionprogrammes on gender equality, the elderly, and children. 

It has fully implemented policies targetingpersons subject to social protection, particularly children, the elderly, andthe disabled. Meanwhile, authorised agencies have also supported residents inareas suffering from natural disasters, drought, saltwater intrusion, andpollution.

As a result, average per capita income increasedfrom 1,900 USD in 2013 to 2,215 USD in 2016, Anh said.

Nicholas Booth, policy adviser for governance,access to justice and human rights at UNDP in Vietnam, said the UN highlyvalues Vietnam’s coordination with human rights agencies in realising therecommendations and improving the UPR process.

However, the UN realises that the country isfacing many challenges to the recommendation implementation such asasynchronous legal system, limited resources for social welfare programmes, andoverloading at sectors and authorities which have to carry out therecommendations and many other tasks at the same time.

Booth asked Vietnam to maximise agencies’responsibility in independently implementing the recommendations and ensuresufficient financial and human resources for the work. Particularly, it needsto form close and sustainable partnership between local administrations andsocial and civil organisations to effectively implement the UPR process.

At the workshop, participants also discussed thefocus and orientations for the implementation of the 3rd-cycle UPRrecommendations in the time ahead.-VNA