To undertake the initiative, Vietnam joined with 13 other countries, namely Austria, Bangladesh, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Fiji, India, Panama, Romania, South Africa, and Spain, to co-draft a resolution which was later adopted by the UN Human Rights Council. The resolution was backed by 102 countries as of late April 4 (Geneva time).
The passage of the document shows that the countries have appreciated Vietnam’s efforts in negotiations to finalise a document that timely deals with common concerns and priorities of all countries relating to the celebrations, as well as highlighting the importance of the two UN treaties.
Furthermore, the Vietnamese delegation led by Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang also actively engaged in panel discussions, focusing on guaranteeing people’s rights to housing, food, culture, and development, along with child rights and the right to fair, equal, timely, and reasonably priced access to COVID-19 vaccines.
During these meetings, the Vietnamese delegation highly appreciated the consistent policy, efforts, and achievements in promoting and protecting human rights, while affirming Vietnam’s commitment to sustainable development in the interest of the people. They emphasised the need to address inequality, protect vulnerable people, and address global challenges such as climate change.
They also vowed to strengthen constructive cooperation with other countries, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Human Rights Council, and its mechanisms to promote and protect human rights for all, particularly in relation to the UN Charter, international treaties on human rights, and principles of assuring national sovereignty, as well as objectivity, fairness, constructive dialogue, and cooperation.
Together with representatives of other ASEAN countries, the Vietnamese delegation delivered speeches relating to issues of common interest, such as development rights, technical cooperation, and capacity building on human rights, as well as universal periodic review (UPR).
Regarding the topic of climate change and human rights, both of which are priorities for member states, Vietnam, along with Bangladesh and the Philippines who are part of the CORE Group, drafted and delivered a joint statement on climate change and human rights at the session, receiving great support from a large number of participating countries.
The Vietnamese delegation also actively exchanged views with delegations from other countries and co-sponsored a number of initiatives adopted at the session.
Taking place in Geneva from February 27 to April 4, the 52nd session of the UN Human Right Council held 27 interactive dialogues with Special Procedure mandate holders and investigative mechanisms, nine interactive dialogues with the High Commissioner, three enhanced interactive dialogues, and one high-level dialogue.
Among issues, the Council spent time examining the outcomes of the UPR in Bahrain, Ecuador, Tunisia, Morocco, Indonesia, Finland, the UK, India, Algeria, the Philippines, Brazil, Poland, the Netherlands, and South Africa.
The Council passed a total of 43 resolutions at the session.
