The four-day meeting is the first in a series of activities of the council’s 28th session, including high-level working sessions, dialogues, and seminars, which will take place from March 2 to 27.
In opening the high-level segment meeting, leaders of the UN and UN Human Right Council underlined the challenges to the protection and promotion of human rights around the globe, especially armed violence, social inequality, and discrimination.
They also highlighted the role of the council and the UN in addressing these challenges, and called upon nations to enhance co-operation and follow the recommendations of the council and the UN human rights mechanism.
Besides the high-level segment meeting, other thematic working sessions will be held during the opening week focusing on human rights in relation to the UN activities and climate change, and capital punishment.
In the following weeks, nearly 90 reports by UN human rights mechanisms will be tabled for consideration. Five meetings will be held to look into the rights of children and people with disabilities, racial discrimination, the building of national policy and technical co-operation.
The UN Human Rights Council will also hold dialogues with UN human rights mechanisms on human rights relating to religious freedom, cultural rights, the environment, foreign debt, the right to food and housing, the situation in several countries and technical support for some nations.
Nearly 40 draft resolutions on various human rights issues will be introduced during the session which will run until March 27.
Vietnam is a member of the UN Human Rights Council in the 2014-2016 tenure. The country has also been re-elected as the co-ordinator of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) at the inter-governmental body.
