A Vietnamese delegation led by Ambassador Đặng Đình Quý has been active in discussions on social development, the advancement of women, children’s rights, drug control and crime prevention during a meeting of the UN Third Committee which is underway in New York.
The UN Committee on Social, Humanitarian and Cultural Issues (Third Committee) meets from October 1 to November 21 within the framework of the 74th UN General Assembly.
The Third Committee also includes meetings with chairpersons of human rights treaty bodies and UN special rapporteurs on issues related to migrants, housing, clean water, environment, torture, violence against children, discrimination against women, and promotion of political, civil, economic, cultural and social rights. Around 60 resolutions are scheduled to be reviewed during the meeting.
During the discussions, representatives of several countries have voiced their concerns over an increasing number of global challenges, particularly climate change which has hindered human rights. They also suggested that in today’s context, dialogue and international cooperation on the basis of mutual understanding and respect are critical to ensuring the achievement of human rights goals.
Speaking at a general discussion, Ambassador Quý, who is also Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the UN, called on all nations to promote dialogue rather than confrontation, and consultation rather than imposition to together ensure human rights.
Vietnam has accepted 241, or nearly 83 percent, of the 291 human rights recommendations by UN members at the third-cycle Universal Periodic Review (UPR) mechanism, he said. The accepted recommendations cover important human rights protection issues, such as the completion of the legal system; measures to protect civil, political, social, economic and cultural rights; and promotion of dialogue and cooperation with UN human rights mechanisms.
Vietnam has also ratified the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Convention 98 on the Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining and aligned itself to the voluntary global pledge for children’s rights and the Safe School Declaration, Quy added.
Vietnam, a country severely affected by climate change, has always made great efforts to mitigate the impact of climate change on vulnerable groups, he said. In 2014, Vietnam, together with Bangladesh and the Philippines, co-sponsored a resolution on climate change and human rights which focuses on childen, women and people with disabilities.
