Vietnam was elected to the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) for the 2023-2025 tenure at the 77th session of the UN General Assembly in New York on October 11.

This is the second time that Vietnam has secured a seat in the UN body, which demonstrates that Vietnam’s active participation in the UNHRC’s activities as well as its strong commitments and efforts in promoting and protecting human rights have won the acknowledgement, trust and appreciation of the international community.

With its seat in the UNHRC, Vietnam will have opportunities to contribute to promoting all human rights on the basis of impartiality, cooperation and dialogue.

The country will have a stronger voice in key issues of the UN as well as the international community, such as the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, response to climate change, immigration, the protection and promotion of the rights of women, children, people with disabilities, minorities, and migrants, and especially humanitarian crises or armed conflicts in the world.

Significance of Vietnam’s election to UNHRC

Following the announcement of the election results, Ambassador Dang Hoang Giang, Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the UN, affirmed that Vietnam will directly contribute to protecting and promoting human rights worldwide – one of the three main tasks of the UN.

Vietnam will promote the priorities identified through dialogue and cooperation, especially the protection of vulnerable groups and the guarantee of human rights in response to global issues, added Giang.

According to the ambassador, such moves will contribute to addressing shared concerns and urgent issues facing humankind, while opening opportunities for Vietnam to exchange experience and pool international support to help Vietnamese people better enjoy human rights and citizens’ rights.

The Vietnamese delegation at the 77th session of the UN General Assembly in New York (Photo: VNA)

In his statement on Vietnam’s election to the UNHRC, Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son stated that Vietnam will work alongside the international community to build a world of peace, where all people, states and nations may benefit from the fruits of development and social progress, and where no one is left behind.

He said that the Vietnamese Party and State consistently identify the people as the centre, the actor, the most important resource, and the purpose of the developmental process. This well-founded view has been set out in detail in Vietnam's socio-economic development plans and strategies and is also institutionalised under the constitution and the law. Accordingly, human rights, and citizens' political, civil, economic, cultural and social rights are recognised, respected, protected and ensured pursuant to the constitution and the law.

“As an active and responsible member of the international community, Vietnam always seriously and fully implements its international commitments on human rights and makes all efforts to advance human rights both domestically and internationally”, said Minister Son.

According to the Vietnamese diplomat, Vietnam's election to the UNHRC for 2023-2025 is of great importance in various ways.

First, it helps reaffirm Vietnam’s sound and consistent position and policy on the special importance attached to the human factor and how Vietnam can best harness the human element in national development. This view holds that economic growth must be closely linked with cultural and human development, and social progress and justice must be upheld.

It is also a testament to Vietnam's immense achievements in upholding the people's right to mastery, and our respect for, and protection and championing of human and civil rights according to the Constitution and the law.

Second, it contributes to the implementation of the foreign policy line set by the 13th National Party Congress. The policy calls for the elevation of multilateral diplomacy, along with active participation and proactive engagement at instrumental multilateral forums of strategic significance, as a channel to further enhance Vietnam's global standing and prestige.

Vietnam's election to the UNHRC stands testimony to Vietnam's tireless efforts in fulfilling its international human rights commitments. More than that, it is also a confirmation of the international community's support, trust and expectation for Vietnam given Vietnam's important and responsible contributions to the advancement of human rights worldwide.

Third, Vietnam's active participation in and contributions to the UNHRC will broadcast a strong message of a peace-loving Vietnam that champions humanistic and humanitarian values. It will also be instrumental in helping Vietnam's Ministries and agencies at all levels, its people and international friends, gain a more complete, accurate and deeper understanding of Vietnam's position, policy and achievements in the area of human rights.

In addition, it enables Vietnam to call on the support, advice, and experience sharing from the UN and other international partners in order to better uphold human rights, civic rights, and the people's right to mastery in the new period of national development.

He added that as a reliable partner and an active and responsible member, Vietnam will continue to work closely with fellow member states while making substantial contributions to the common work of the UNHRC.

These include advancing dialogue and international cooperation in the spirit of mutual respect and understanding, and the promoting of human rights taking into account the particular conditions and legitimate needs and interests of countries, especially developing countries.

Kids wave flags at a ceremony to mark the start of a new school year. (Photo: NDO)

International responses

In his congratulations on Vietnam's election to the UNHRC, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed his belief that Vietnam will maintain active and effective contributions to the promotion and protection of human rights.

He added that Vietnam is an indispensable member of the UN and has been making significant contributions to the UN's common work in solving global challenges, for peace and development in the world.

Congratulating Vietnam on its election to the UNHRC for the 2023-2025 tenure, Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Kritenbrink expressed his hope that Vietnam, as an important UNHRC member, will partner with the US to promote universal human rights and address the related challenges facing the world.

For his part, US Ambassador to Vietnam Marc E. Knapper said Vietnam has witnessed significant progress in improving people’s living standards, especially in terms of healthcare, climate change response and infrastructure over the last 15 years.

Former general secretary of the France-Vietnam Friendship Association (AAFV) Jean-Pierre Archambault and French historian Alain Ruscio both said that Vietnam’s election to the UNHRC for the 2023-2025 tenure affirms Vietnam's increasing prestige and efforts in protecting human rights.

According to Jean-Pierre Archambault, to appreciate the outstanding efforts in caring for the lives and ensuring the rights of people in Vietnam, it is essential to look back at the past historical periods in Vietnam.

Vietnam was unified in 1975 but it was devastated after 30 years of wars, said the former general secretary of the AAFV. The country was in a state of extreme poverty and experienced many hardships due to the embargo until 1994, he added.

Vietnam has resiliently overcome all challenges and difficulties to conduct the Doi Moi (reform) process since 1986. As a result, people's lives and rights have been getting better and better.

Thousands of Buddhists attend a ceremony to mark Vesak Day. (Photo: VNA)

Jean-Pierre Archambault stressed the figures demonstrating remarkable progress in Vietnam, including the poverty rate falling from 58% in 1993 to 5% in 2015, and per capita income at 2,300 USD per year in 2017 (compared to 400 USD in 2000). In 2010, Vietnam escaped the group of poor countries to become a middle-income country.

It can be seen that Vietnam has taken very long steps and is transitioning to a new stage of development to become a rich, strong, democratic and modern country. Vietnam has recorded new achievements and progression in all fields and the rights of the Vietnamese people have been better guaranteed, he said.

During the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, when Vietnam implemented the policy of "leaving no one behind", the French press published many articles praising the epidemic prevention and control in Vietnam and the efforts made by the Party and State to protect people’s lives.

Jean-Pierre Archambault also highly appreciated the policy of promoting and facilitating women to take up important positions in central and local agencies.

Since its conduction of the Doi Moi process, Vietnam has taken the right direction in both domestic and foreign affairs to constantly promote its role in the international arena.

The AAFV’s former leader said that Vietnam deserves this responsibility for the second time and this election has proven that the international community has a high level of trust and appreciation for Vietnam’s capability.