Identifying challenges, promoting solutions to ensure human rights

On August 15, the Government Human Rights Steering Committee coordinated with the Thanh Hoa Provincial Human Rights Steering Committee to organize a national human rights training conference in 2024 in Thanh Hoa city.

Nhận diện thách thức, thúc đẩy các giải pháp bảo đảm quyền con người

Lieutenant General Dang Xuan Hong, Chief of the Government's Permanent Office for Human Rights.

The conference aims to assess the world, regional and domestic situation related to Vietnam's human rights work; identify challenges that may directly impact the protection and struggle for human rights in Vietnam and propose key solutions for the coming time.

Attending the conference were Deputy Foreign Minister Le Thi Thu Hang; Lieutenant General Dang Xuan Hong, Chief of the Government's Standing Office for Human Rights; Provincial Party Committee member, Vice Chairman of Thanh Hoa Provincial People's Committee Dau Thanh Tung and more than 350 delegates representing ministries, departments and branches that are members of the Government's Human Rights Steering Committee and representatives of departments, departments and branches that are members of the Human Rights Steering Committee of 28 provinces and cities.

The national human rights training conference took place in the context that Vietnam has been recognized by the international community not only for its important achievements in ensuring and promoting human rights domestically, but also for its many positive and responsible contributions as a member of the United Nations Human Rights Council for the 2023-2025 term.

Despite facing many difficulties and challenges, Vietnam has always made constant efforts to develop its socio-economy, ensure livelihoods, improve the quality of life for its people, and ensure the serious and effective implementation of international commitments on human rights. Vietnam has successfully defended its National Report on the Implementation of International Human Rights Conventions and the Universal Periodic Review Mechanism of Human Rights of the UN Human Rights Council (UPR).

The conference had more than 350 delegates representing ministries, departments and branches that are members of the Government Human Rights Steering Committee and representatives of departments, departments and branches that are members of the Human Rights Steering Committee of 28 provinces and cities.

Human rights dialogue with important partners such as the US, EU, and Australia has achieved many positive and substantive results, contributing significantly to promoting relations with partners, including upgrading the Vietnam-US relationship to a comprehensive strategic partnership, while affirming Vietnam's success in ensuring human rights.

During the dialogue, these countries highly appreciated the role and contributions of Vietnam as a member of the UN Human Rights Council with its effective initiatives and activities. Vietnam has had many initiatives that are consistent with Vietnam's priorities and the world's common concerns, such as sustainable development, promoting gender equality, etc., thereby contributing to the overall effectiveness of the UN's most important human rights body.

Deputy Foreign Minister Le Thi Thu Hang speaks at the Conference.

Speaking at the opening of the conference, Lieutenant General Dang Xuan Hong, Chief of the Government's Permanent Office for Human Rights, said that in 2024, the world and regional situation will continue to develop complicatedly, posing many challenges to efforts to ensure and promote human rights in the world, including Vietnam.

In the coming time, during the mid-term of the 2023-2025 term as a member of the UN Human Rights Council, Vietnam will continue to participate more deeply in promoting dialogue and cooperation on human rights, and promoting commitments to re-run for membership of the UN Human Rights Council for the 2026-2028 term.

Hostile forces will increase propaganda distorting Vietnam's repression of human rights, especially in ethnic, religious, and worker security issues, especially at international forums, to discredit Vietnam's reputation and image and sabotage efforts to affirm our position in the international arena.

Therefore, the work of ensuring human rights and combating sabotage activities is a regular, continuous, long-term task and requires the participation of the entire political system, in which the local Steering Committee on Human Rights plays a very important role.

Vice Chairman of Thanh Hoa Provincial People's Committee Dau Thanh Tung emphasized the significance of the Conference.

Vice Chairman of Thanh Hoa Provincial People's Committee Dau Thanh Tung affirmed that the training conference on human rights work is an opportunity for localities to update the latest information on the situation of democracy and human rights; to unify the awareness, ideology and action from the Central Steering Committee to localities in directing the organization and implementation of human rights work.

At the same time, this is a forum to share and exchange practical experiences and together find solutions to solve difficult and complicated problems, contributing to promoting human rights work at the grassroots level, making this work increasingly effective in each locality in the coming time, helping officials in charge of management, consulting and implementing human rights protection to better perform their tasks and professional work, especially in developing policies and measures to create clear changes in the coming time.

At the conference, the reporters presented the following topics: Promoting external information on human rights and fighting against erroneous and hostile views; Human rights issues at international forums and Vietnam's behavior; Identifying hostile forces' activities of exploiting freedom of belief and religion to sabotage Vietnam and our struggle; Vietnam's commitments in implementing new-generation Free Trade Agreements...

Major General Nguyen Van Ky, Deputy Chief of the Standing Office of the Human Rights Steering Committee delivered the closing speech at the Conference.

In his closing speech at the Conference, Major General Nguyen Van Ky, Deputy Chief of the Standing Office of the Human Rights Steering Committee, suggested that the local Human Rights Steering Committee should carry out a number of key tasks: Continue to advise on the development of programs and plans for economic and social development, poverty reduction, social protection, social security, labor and employment policies; Prioritize policies for vulnerable groups; Ensure freedom of belief and religion, and rights for ethnic minorities...

In addition, the local Human Rights Steering Committee needs to proactively neutralize hostile forces' exploitation of democracy and human rights issues, especially activities of internal and external collusion, directing sabotage against Vietnam at times of important political events; grasp the situation, thoroughly handle issues related to religion, ethnicity, complaints, and worker security, not allowing them to become hot spots for hostile forces to exploit and sabotage.

At the same time, localities need to promote connections, contacts and work with foreign non-governmental organizations to increase the attraction of resources for economic development and solve social problems. Major General Nguyen Van Ky also requested departments and branches to further enhance their responsibility in organizing and implementing human rights work in the province, promptly and effectively advising on solutions to further promote the work of ensuring human rights at the grassroots level.