Celebrating the 75th anniversary of World Human Rights Day - the birth date of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (December 10, 1948 - December 10, 2023), Vietnam is proud to be an active and responsible member of international community in fully and seriously implementing international commitments on human rights, and efforts to ensure and promote human rights both domestically and around the world. Those efforts contribute to enhancing the country's prestige and position, and are proof that refute all distorted allegations about the human rights issues in Vietnam.
Respecting and ensuring human rights are the consistent viewpoint and policy of our Party and State; which have been prescribed in the Constitution and laws of Vietnam over times; concretised in socio-economic development strategies and plans appropriate to each stage of the country's development; implemented actively and responsibly in the implementation of international obligations and commitments on human rights.
Since the Declaration of Independence dated 02 September 1945 of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (now the Socialist Republic of Vietnam), respecting and ensuring human rights has been affirmed as an eternal and universal principle: “All men are created equal. They are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights; among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”. Our country's first Constitution also affirms: “The citizen shall enjoy freedom of opinion and speech, freedom of the press, the right to be informed, and the right to assemble, form associations and hold demonstrations in accordance with the provisions of the law”, “The citizen shall enjoy freedom of movement and of residence within the country; he can freely travel abroad and return home from abroad in accordance with the provisions of the law”. Since then, with the awareness that “human rights have become a common value of humanity”, Vietnam has ratified and joined 7/9 basic international conventions on human rights and many international conventions relating to the protection of human rights and international humanitarian law; ratified and joined 25 conventions of the International Labour Organisation (ILO), including 7/8 basic labour conventions. On that basis, Vietnam has made efforts to internalise international principles and standards on human rights, and has perfected the system of policies and laws on human rights, to ensure the compatibility of the domestic legal system with international treaties, suitable to the specific conditions of Vietnam. The 2013 Constitution is the pinnacle of constitutional activities on human rights, which dedicates 36/120 articles to regulate human rights, rights and obligations of citizens; it is the basis for adjusting, supplementing and promulgating laws and codes in various fields to better ensure and protect human rights and citizens' rights in Vietnam.
In addition to perfecting the legal framework for ensuring and protecting human rights, with consistency in policies that consider “people as the centre, subject, main resource and goal of development”, Vietnam has accomplished many achievements in ensuring and promoting human rights both domestically and around the world. Vietnam has successfully assumed the role of member of the United Nations Human Rights Council for the term 2014 - 2016 and continues to be trusted to hold this role in the term 2023 - 2025. It should be noted that, to be elected to the United Nations Human Rights Council, the candidate country must have achieved outstanding progress in ensuring and protecting human rights in the country meanwhile contributing, creating many initiatives and actively taking action to promote human rights globally. Therefore, Vietnam's twice-election to the United Nations Human Rights Council is a testament to the positive and effective efforts of our Party and State in the field of human rights over the years; at the same time, it affirms the respect of international friends for Vietnam's position in activities to promote and protect human rights on a global scale.
In fact, since joining the United Nations in 1977, Vietnam has always proven to be a responsible member in ensuring, protecting and promoting human rights, through the participation in most basic international conventions on human rights; at the same time, obtaining outstanding achievements in the field of ensuring and protecting human rights in the country, recognised and highly appreciated by international friends. The reform process has been initiated and led by our Party over the past 37 years with great achievements of historical significance, all aimed at ensuring and protecting people's rights. Just as Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh affirmed: “The biggest human right in Vietnam is taking care of 100 million people so that they will live a happy, prosperous, democratic, peaceful, and safe life, and maximising the human factor for development, that is the most important thing”. And Mr. Jean Pierre Archambault, former Secretary General of the France - Vietnam Friendship Association, emphasised: “Ensuring good human rights is one of the achievements of the reform process in Vietnam, the results achieved in the field of human rights is undeniable”. In Vietnam, human rights, civil rights and political rights are guaranteed and protected by the Constitution and law; at the same time, they are implemented transparently in practice. Accordingly, everyone is equal before the law. All citizens, regardless of gender, religion, or ethnicity, who are 18 years old or older have the right to vote and 21 years old or older have the right to run for election to the National Assembly and People's Councils at all levels. Human rights, economic, social and cultural rights of citizens are also increasingly better guaranteed with the development of the economy. If the average income per capita (GDP) in Vietnam’s first years of innovation only reached about 250 USD/year, by 2022 reached 4,110 USD. Thanks to that, the lives of people from all walks of life have been significantly improved. Socialist democracy is promoted and increasingly expanded. Progress and social justice have achieved many impressive results. The poverty rate decreased sharply from 58% (in 1993) to less than 03% (in 2020) according to the multidimensional poverty standard, ranked by the United Nations as one of the leading countries in implementing the Millennium Goals. Vietnam's human development index (HDI) is continuously improving, in 2021 Vietnam ranked 115/191, among the countries with the fastest HDI growth rate in the world in the period 1990 - 2021. Social security are also always taken care of, even when the economy faced difficulties due to the impact of the world economic recession, or the Covid-19 pandemic, becoming one of the key points recognised internationally. To ensure people's right to life against the rapid spread of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Government of Vietnam has considered protecting people's health and rights as the highest priority in all policies and action programmes. At some times, the Government accepted to sacrifice the country's economic interests to protect people's health and lives, to ensured safety and social stability to support workers and businesses in difficulties due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, contributing to minimising the negative impacts of the pandemic, ensuring the lives and safety of workers. Results of implementing Resolution No. 68/NQ-CP, dated 01 July 2021 of the Government “On certain policies to support employees and employers in difficulty due to the Covid-19 pandemic” had reached 36.5 million people across the country, 394,000 employers and 500,000 business households with a total amount of 45,600 billion VND, which was a concrete testament to the efforts of the Party and State of Vietnam on ensuring human rights. Assessing Vietnam's progress in this field, Ms. Ramla Khalidi, UNDP Resident Representative in Vietnam, when interviewed by VOV on 12 September 2023 about the Vietnam-UNDP cooperation relationship - in the past 45 years (1978 - 2023) and prospects in the coming time, has affirmed: “Vietnam is a model for poverty reduction, especially in a particularly short period of time. I think many countries will look to Vietnam to learn those lessons”.
Along with the above mentioned civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights, Vietnam has also obtained many achievements in implementing human rights and civil rights in terms of freedom of belief and religion. Ensuring the right to freedom of belief and religion is affirmed in the 2013 Constitution and concretised in the 2016 Law on Belief and Religion. The people's belief and religious life is increasingly rich; The number of dignitaries, believers, and worship facilities is increasing, international relations are increasingly expanding; Thanks to that, the people's right to freedom of belief and religion is increasingly better guaranteed. In 2003, the whole country had 15 organisations, 6 religions, 17 million followers with about 20,000 places of worship, 34,000 dignitaries, and 78,000 religious positions; by 2022, the State has recognised 43 organisations belonging to 16 different religions, with 26.7 million followers, 55,000 dignitaries, 135,000 positions, over 29,000 places of worship, etc. Many major festivals in religions are held, attracting tens of thousands of believers and people to attend. Activities of ordination, investiture, appointment, and transfer of dignitaries and positions; activities to establish affiliated religious organisations; amend the charter and by laws; Register for the annual activity programme; Construction, repair, embellishment of worship facilities, etc. of religions are also carried out smoothly in accordance with the provisions of law. The printing, publishing, and translation of a large number of scriptures and religious materials have been promoted by religions in recent years. The country has more than 3,000 religious publications published with more than 10 million printed copies and millions of CDs and DVDs in many languages; 12 newspapers and magazines related to religion; Most religious organisations have their own websites.
Freedom of the press and freedom of speech of people in Vietnam are always respected and guaranteed to comply with the provisions of law. By the end of 2022, our country has 127 newspaper agencies, 670 magazine agencies (including 327 political theory and science magazines and 72 literary and art magazines); 72 radio and television stations. The number of people working in the field of journalism is 41,000 people, with 19,356 officials who have been granted press cards. Along with domestic press agencies, many international media and news agencies are present in Vietnam. The number of internet users in Vietnam is up to 72.1 million people, accounting for about 73.2% of the country's population. With this number, Vietnam is the country with the 12th highest number of internet users in the world and ranks 6th among 35 countries and territories in Asia. Another concrete evidence is the rapid development of the press system, mass media agencies, the internet and the high average time spent using the internet by Vietnamese people (about 7 hours/day). Freedom of the press and freedom of speech of people in Vietnam are always guaranteed.
As an active and responsible member of the Human Rights Council, during the term 2014 - 2016, Vietnam has made many contributions, serving as a bridge to promote cooperation and dialogue between countries and groups of countries to promote a balanced, progressive, people-oriented approach; co-authored, co-sponsored dozens of resolutions, or directly authored a number of resolutions passed by consensus by the Human Rights Council. In particular, since 2009, Vietnam has voluntarily published three National Reports which periodically reviews the implementation of human rights in Vietnam according to the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) mechanism, and actively implement most of the recommendations of the Human Rights Council after reporting periods; At the same time, we are actively preparing to complete on time the national reporting obligation of cycle IV under this mechanism. In addition, from June 2014 to present, Vietnam has sent hundreds of officers and employees from the Ministry of National Defense and the Ministry of Public Security to carry out UN peacekeeping missions in the South Sudan and the Central African Republic, demonstrating the responsibility for the protection of human rights internationally. As a member of the Human Rights Council for the term 2023 - 2025, Vietnam has immediately demonstrated its role in the field of human rights on a global scale when providing emergency support to Turkey and Syria after the earthquake disaster taking place on 06 February 2023. In addition, the United Nations Human Rights Council on 03 April 2023 unanimously adopted the 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), which were proposed and drafted by Vietnam. This is an outstanding mark of Vietnam right in the first session as a member of the Human Rights Council for the term 2023 - 2025.
All of Vietnam's efforts in the field of human rights are convincing evidence that affirms the guidelines and policies of the Party and State of Vietnam on ensuring and promoting human rights domestically, as well as internationally, are consistent and continuous. Those efforts contribute to protecting national interests, enhancing the country's position and prestige and promoting human rights protection on a global scale; at the same time, it is a proof that rejects all distortions about the human rights situation in Vietnam.
NGUYEN NGOC HOI