Vietnam's mark in the first year as a member of the Human Rights Council

After more than a year as a member of the United Nations Human Rights Council for the 2023-2025 term, Vietnam has left many marks that have been recognized and highly appreciated by the international community.

Vietnam's mark in the first year as a member of the Human Rights Council The Vietnamese delegation attended the voting session and announced the results of membership of the United Nations Human Rights Council for the 2023-2025 term.

On this occasion, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Do Hung Viet wrote an article looking back at Vietnam's first year as a member of the United Nations Human Rights Council for the 2023-2025 term.

VNA respectfully introduces the article: The work of assuming the position of a member of the United Nations Human Rights Council for the 2023-2025 term has been vigorously implemented since the early days. The first activities of the Human Rights Council in 2023, with the active participation and coordination of agencies in the Inter-sectoral Working Group and press agencies, have left their mark and had a ripple effect not only in the work of the Human Rights Council but also in many other areas of work.

1. In 2023, the world and regional situation will undergo many profound changes. Peace, cooperation and development, although still the major trend, will be challenged most strongly since the Cold War, especially when strategic competition between major countries becomes increasingly fierce and comprehensive.

Hotspots and armed conflicts have broken out in many regions around the world, increasing in number, level of damage and increasingly multidimensional in nature with diverse forms. The world economy has recovered slowly, unevenly and uncertainly, with many macro risks.

Progress in implementing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) along with non-traditional security challenges such as climate change, food security, water security, inequalities and the “dark sides” of Digital Transformation... have direct, daily impacts on the livelihoods, quality of life and ability to enjoy rights of people around the world.

Vietnam's mark in the first year as a member of the Human Rights Council

Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Do Hung Viet.

These factors are intertwined and transform each other, on the one hand posing many challenges, increasing politicization, limiting space for cooperation on many human rights issues; on the other hand, they also highlight the need for dialogue and cooperation to address the common concerns of the international community on human rights, including through the activities of the Human Rights Council.

2023 is also the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and the 30th anniversary of the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action on Human Rights (VDPA), an important occasion for the international community to look back on the achievements and challenges in the coming time in ensuring the common, universal values and strong commitments to protecting and promoting human rights expressed in these documents.

With such a context and expectations from the international community, in 2023, the Human Rights Council actively promoted its role as the most important body on human rights in the United Nations system, effectively implementing an agenda spanning over 10 topics, closely following the common concerns of the international community, while also showing many conflicts, even conflicts, and direct confrontations between countries and groups of countries.

In 2023, the Human Rights Council operated at a high intensity, completing the largest volume of work since its establishment in 2006, with 180 official plenary meetings within the framework of 3 regular sessions and 1 special session, considering 231 reports, adopting 110 resolutions (about 2/3 of which were adopted by consensus), 41 decisions and 1 presidential statement, along with many meetings of Working Groups and Expert Groups, in which the Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) considered and adopted reports from 42 countries.

In addition, to promote its priorities and contribute to the activities of the Human Rights Council, in 2023, there were about 450 side events organized by countries on a variety of topics on the sidelines of regular sessions.

2. On October 11, 2022, the United Nations General Assembly elected Vietnam and 13 other countries as members of the Human Rights Council for the 2023-2025 term. Following the success of the term as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council (2020-2021), this is an important event in the effort to implement the foreign policy of the 13th National Party Congress and Directive 25-CT/TW of the Secretariat on promoting and enhancing multilateral diplomacy until 2030, demonstrating Vietnam's increasing position and prestige, while also demonstrating the international community's recognition of Vietnam's policies, efforts and achievements in ensuring human rights.

Vietnam also assumes this position while making every effort to develop the socio-economy, ensure livelihoods, improve the quality of life for the people, and ensure the implementation of international commitments on human rights in the context of many challenges in the international and domestic situation.

Therefore, Vietnam's membership in the Human Rights Council for the 2023-2025 term has received much attention from the international community. On the one hand, our achievements, efforts, commitments and need for cooperation in protecting and promoting human rights have been widely recognized.

On the other hand, some individuals, organizations and international politicians still have an objective assessment of the situation in Vietnam as well as our capacity to fulfill our role as a member of the Human Rights Council.

3. In that context, Vietnam has actively participated, leaving its mark right from the first activities of the Human Rights Council with many initiatives in line with Vietnam's priorities and the world's common concerns, which have been highly appreciated by the international community.

At the 52nd Session opening the term of the Human Rights Council (March-April 2023), Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang attended the High-level Meeting and introduced the initiative to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and the 30th anniversary of the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action (VDPA).

On that basis, Vietnam chaired and led the Core Group of 14 countries (Vietnam, Austria, Bangladesh, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Fiji, India, Panama, Romania, South Africa and Spain) across regions and with diverse development levels to draft and organize consultations for the Human Rights Council to adopt by consensus Resolution 52/19 on this issue with the co-sponsorship of 121 countries - a "record" of the Human Rights Council in recent years.

The resolution emphasized the leading role of countries in ensuring human rights, recognizing the participation of women, the role of international cooperation and solidarity, respect for diversity and inclusion in promoting and protecting human rights.

This initiative of Vietnam has made an important contribution to conveying important messages, raising awareness and determination of countries and the international community in implementing the goals and principles on human rights set out in these two fundamental human rights documents, while simultaneously promoting the position and role of the Human Rights Council and the United Nations human rights mechanisms.

Vietnam's mark in the first year as a member of the Human Rights Council

On April 3, 2023, at the headquarters of the United Nations Office in Geneva (Switzerland), the United Nations Human Rights Council unanimously adopted a Resolution commemorating the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and the 30th anniversary of the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action (VDPA), proposed and drafted by Vietnam. This is a remarkable mark of Vietnam in its first session as a member of the Human Rights Council for the 2023-2025 term.

Continuing to demonstrate its leading role in developing a series of resolutions on ensuring human rights in the context of climate change, at the 53rd Session of the Human Rights Council (June-July 2023), Vietnam, together with Bangladesh and the Philippines, drafted a resolution on promoting livelihoods in the context of climate change, which was adopted by the Human Rights Council by consensus with 80 co-sponsoring countries (Resolution 53/6).

At the 53rd and 54th Sessions (September-October 2023), Vietnam will continue to work with countries and international organizations such as the International Labor Organization (ILO), the World Health Organization (WHO), the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI), etc. to promote initiatives on "vaccination and human rights," "fighting against discrimination, violence, and gender-based harassment in the workplace" in the form of international discussions on the sidelines of the sessions and developing a common statement at the Human Rights Council.

In line with the world's current major concerns about human rights, Vietnam's initiatives have received positive responses and contributions from other countries.

For example, the joint statement on vaccination and human rights, drafted by Vietnam at the 54th Session of the Human Rights Council, attracted the participation and support of more than 60 countries. The topic of this joint statement is timely in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic still having many long-term effects, many developing countries and many population groups do not have full access to COVID-19 vaccines as well as many types of basic expanded immunization vaccines.

4. Vietnam also participates more deeply in common work, promoting dialogue and cooperation at the Human Rights Council in the spirit of “Respect and understanding. Dialogue and cooperation. All rights. For all people.”

Vietnam has made more than 80 national statements at meetings of the Human Rights Council on ensuring human rights in aspects of international concern such as sustainable development, responding to climate change, migration, promoting gender equality, ensuring the rights to housing, the right to food, cultural rights, the right to development, protecting vulnerable groups and participating in 50 joint statements on diverse topics of ASEAN, the Non-Aligned Movement, the Like-Minded Group (The Like-Minded Group has a diverse composition, including about 134 developing countries, representing 80% of the world's population and 70% of the United Nations members, with the main purpose of coordinating and promoting the common interests and priorities of developing countries at the United Nations in general and the Human Rights Council in particular), the Francophone Group and a number of other inter-regional groups.

We have responsibly fulfilled our obligations and main rights as a member state of the Human Rights Council during the process of negotiating and voting to pass draft resolutions. Vietnam has had a constructive approach to human rights issues that are still different, politicized, and have many conflicts at the Human Rights Council such as the situation of specific countries (Ukraine, Russia, Palestine, Sudan...), the relationship between development and human rights, reproductive health and sex education, the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people, religious tolerance...

On the one hand, Vietnam contributes to the common struggle of developing countries to protect the principle of non-politicization and non-use of human rights issues to interfere in the internal affairs of sovereign nations.

On the other hand, Vietnam has listened to and respected the needs for cooperation and technical assistance of countries, promoting cooperation and dialogue so that the Human Rights Council can act to meet the legitimate needs of countries in this field.

Vietnam's mark in the first year as a member of the Human Rights Council

Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son speaks at the High-level Session of the 55th Regular Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council.

5. The imprints from the first year of assuming the position of member of the Human Rights Council for the 2023-2025 term also have positive spillover effects on other areas of human rights diplomacy.

Vietnam's contributions to the Human Rights Council have helped the international community better understand our efforts and commitments in protecting and promoting human rights, thereby promoting our cooperative relations with other countries and international organizations.

The assessment of the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Vietnam can be summarized as follows: Through its active and responsible role as a member of the Human Rights Council, promoting initiatives, especially Resolution 52/19, along with the serious implementation of UPR commitments, successfully welcoming the Special Rapporteur on the right to development (November 2023), "Vietnam has demonstrated its pioneering role in protecting and promoting human rights" (Opening speech at the International Workshop to consult on the draft National Report under the UPR Mechanism, Cycle IV of Vietnam, on November 24, 2023 by Ms. Ramla Khalidi, Acting United Nations Resident Coordinator in Vietnam, Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Program in Vietnam).

Also in 2023, cooperation contents at the Human Rights Council were promoted by countries, including major partners, in exchanges with Vietnam, including in foreign affairs activities of our senior leaders.

Friendly countries, partners, like-minded countries, ASEAN... have also promoted existing exchange mechanisms or organized new activities to have in-depth discussions with Vietnam on cooperation at the Human Rights Council.

Our position as a member of the Human Rights Council also helps us mobilize countries to support us in fighting against activities that distort the situation in Vietnam at United Nations mechanisms and forums.

6. Although a longer journey lies ahead, with many difficulties and challenges, at this point, it can be said that the first year of Vietnam's membership of the Human Rights Council for 2023-2025 is a success with many highlights.

These milestones have important motivations from the close guidance and direct participation of our senior leaders in the activities of the Human Rights Council as well as the effective and harmonious participation and contribution of the ministries, departments and branches that are members of the Inter-Agency Working Group on the Human Rights Council, effectively supporting the coordination work of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the "frontline" role of our Delegation to the United Nations, the World Trade Organization and other international organizations in Geneva (Switzerland).

Our agencies have actively and proactively coordinated research, forecasting and advising competent authorities on our participation and handling direction at the Human Rights Council, especially contributing many practical ideas to build initiatives that Vietnam promotes at the Human Rights Council, not only meeting our interests and priorities but also in line with the common concerns of the international community.

Thanks to that, our initiatives at the Human Rights Council in recent times have received very broad support. At the same time, the member agencies of the Inter-Agency Working Group have also demonstrated a very active role in information and propaganda work, effectively connecting with the mechanisms and propaganda press networks chaired by these agencies.

Compared to the previous term of the Human Rights Council (2014-2016), our information and activities at the Human Rights Council were reflected more widely, richly and attractively in the domestic and foreign press.

2024 is a pivotal year for the 2023-2025 term of membership of the Human Rights Council, with many key activities such as presenting and dialogue on the National Report under the UPR Mechanism Cycle IV, continuing to promote initiatives and priorities, especially initiatives on climate change and human rights, combined with the work of mobilizing countries to continue supporting Vietnam's first re-election as a member of the Human Rights Council for the 2026-2028 term.

With strong determination, strength from the solidarity and close coordination of the entire political system under the attention and close direction of the Party and State leaders, Vietnam will certainly continue to make important contributions to the Human Rights Council, making its mark in 2024 and beyond, contributing to building a strong, comprehensive, modern, professional Vietnamese foreign affairs and diplomacy and raising the level of multilateral foreign affairs in the spirit of the Resolution of the 13th National Party Congress and Directive 25-CT/TW of the Secretariat.

According to VNA

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