Vietnam reviews international human rights treaties

Vietnam has successfully defended its national
report on the implementation of human rights under the Universal Periodic Review
of the UN Human Rights Councils, which has earned international plaudits.

Photo: Vietnam+

A seminar on International conventions on human
rights and implementation mechanisms was held in Hanoi on December 22 by the
Vietnam Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) and the Australian Agency for
International Development (AusAID).

Representatives and speakers from 40 media
agencies, and organisations in charge of human rights in Vietnam attended the
seminar.

The seminar was part of a technical cooperation
programme concerning human rights between Vietnam and Austria which started in
2006.

In his opening speech, Deputy Foreign Minister
Bui Thanh Son affirmed the Vietnamese Party, State and Government’s consistent
policy, in which Vietnam attaches great importance to joining international
human rights treaties to show its commitments and determination in ensuring and
exercising human rights.

So far, Vietnam involved itself in the five key
UN conventions on human rights, the International Labour Organization’s
conventions and other bilateral agreements to promote and protect human rights.

Vietnam has signed the UN Convention on the
Rights of Persons with Disabilities and is carrying out necessary formalities
for the approval of this convention in the near future.

Apart from enhancing cooperation in international
treaties, Vietnam is taking into account its participation in other treaties.
“The 2009-2010 period has seen Vietnam’s great efforts in international
cooperation on human rights, particularly regional and international
mechanisms,” Mr. Son said.

As Chair of the ASEAN Inter-Governmental
Commission on Human Rights in 2010, Vietnam worked hand in hand with other ASEAN
countries to put the commission into operation and fulfilled all tasks set for
2010 by mapping out a five-year plan and devising specific tasks for 2010-2011,
which were approved by ASEAN foreign ministers.

Over the past four years, AusAID in Vietnam has
organised seminars and training courses to raise Vietnamese agencies and
organisations’ awareness of human rights issues and create a link between
Vietnamese and Australian agencies in exercising human rights.

Australia has assisted Vietnam in issuing and
revising some laws relating to the protection of human rights.

Australian Vice Ambassador to Vietnam Vanessa
Wood praised the media’s role in imparting the contents of international
treaties to all people while expressing the hope that through cooperation
programmes, Vietnam and Australia could share human rights-related experiences.

During the two-day seminar, the participants
focused their discussions on democracy, human rights in international relations,
the Vietnamese State’s views and policies on human rights and religion, and
issues on democracy and human rights in Vietnam’s relations with other
countries, including the US, the EU and the Vatican.

Meeting marks Vietnam-RoK diplomatic ties

Relations between Vietnam and the Republic of Korea
(RoK) have been greatly extended and deepened for peace, stability and
development cooperation for the two peoples.

This statement was made by the President of the
Ho Chi Minh City Vietnam-RoK Friendship Association Vu Van Hoa at a ceremony to
mark the 18^th anniversary of the establishment of Vietnam- RoK
diplomatic ties, in the City on December 22.

The two countries lifted diplomatic ties to a
comprehensive cooperation relationship in 2001 and to a strategic cooperative
partnership in 2009, Hoa said.

At the event, the RoK’s Consul General in HCM
City Kim Sang Yoon stressed that the two countries’ relations had made great
progress over the past 18 years.

President Hoa and the RoK Consul General noted
that the RoK’s direct investment into Vietnam is increasing, reaching nearly
US$23 billion as of November this year, up 250 times compared with 1992.

The two countries have exchanged about 500,000
tourists each year and there are nearly 100,000 Vietnamese living in the RoK and
the same number of the RoK people living in HCM City, they said.

At the grassroots level, HCM City and RoK’s
localities have regularly conducted a large number of exchanges for businesses,
scholars and students as well as a wide range of cultural, sporting and
charitable programmes.

ActionAid International former General Director
honoured with Friendship Order

On December 22, Chairman of the Vietnam Union of
Friendship Organizations (VUFO) Vu Xuan Hong presented the Friendship Order, the
Vietnamese State’s highest decoration, to Mr Ramesh Singh, former General
Director of ActionAid International organisation in Vietnam.

The award was given in recognition of his
substantial contributions to developing relations between international
organisations and Vietnam as well as involvement in Vietnam’s poverty reduction
and sustainable development.

As Action International CEO from 1997-2000, Mr
Singh put forward initiatives aimed at helping Vietnam and other developing
countries reduce poverty through programmes on rural development, healthcare,
education, credit loans and agriculture, which improved people’s living
standards significantly.

In his address at the awards ceremony, Mr. Hong
praised Mr Singh’s contributions to Vietnam and hoped that Mr Singh and
ActionAid International would continue to provide their support for Vietnam.

VNN/VOV/VNS