Vietnam's views and policies on human rights are highly appreciated by the international community.

This result affirms that Vietnam's strong commitments and efforts to promote and protect human rights have been recognized, trusted and highly appreciated by the international community.

Overview of the session to elect 14 members of the United Nations Human Rights Council for the 2023-2025 term on October 11 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, USA. Photo: UN

The goal that all mankind has strived for throughout history is the struggle for human liberation. For Vietnam, an undeniable fact is that due to being colonized by foreign countries for a long time, in order to fight for national independence and freedom of the Fatherland, this country had to bear enormous sacrifices and losses.

Over the centuries, through the resilient and indomitable struggle, the Vietnamese people have affirmed that the most sacred and fundamental human right isthe right to live in independence and freedom, the right to self-determination. This is also the fundamental principle of national self-determination affirmed in the United Nations Charter and in Article 1 of the two most fundamental international covenants of the United Nations on human rights: the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

During his lifetime, President Ho Chi Minh - the founder of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (now the Socialist Republic of Vietnam) always had one aspiration: "I have only one desire, the utmost desire, which is to make our country completely independent, our people completely free, everyone has food to eat, clothes to wear, everyone can go to school."

That aspiration of President Ho Chi Minh reflected the aspirations of the Vietnamese people, demonstrating the essential values ​​of human rights, which are the purpose and guiding principles of the Vietnamese State. The Vietnamese State always identifies people as both the goal and the driving force of the cause of national construction. The Vietnamese State affirms that people are the center and the subject of the socio-economic development strategy, promoting and protecting human rights is an important factor for sustainable development, ensuring the victory of the cause of innovation, building and defending the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

All of Vietnam's guidelines, policies and strategies are aimed at striving for the goal of "rich people, strong country, fair, democratic and civilized society".

The Vietnamese delegation attended the voting session and announced the results of membership of the United Nations Human Rights Council for the 2023-2025 term. Photo: VNA

Having been victims of many wars of aggression and the greatest violations of human rights, the Vietnamese people understand more than anyone else that human rights are both universal, reflecting the common aspirations of humanity, recorded in the Charter of the United Nations, and specific to each society and community.

The Vietnamese Government believes that in an increasingly diverse world, when approaching and dealing with human rights issues, it is necessary to harmoniously combine the common standards and principles of international law with the specific historical, political, socio-economic conditions, cultural values, religions, beliefs, and customs of each country and region. No country has the right to impose its political, economic, and cultural model on another country. Vietnam believes that it is necessary to comprehensively approach allhuman rightscivil, political, economic, social, cultural in a harmonious whole, no rights should be taken lightly.

At the same time, the rights and freedoms of each individual can only be guaranteed and promoted on the basis of respecting the common rights and interests of the nation and community; rights must go hand in hand with obligations to society. Prioritizing or absolutizing only civil and political rights and some individual freedoms, without paying due attention to the right to development, economic, social and cultural rights of the entire community is a one-sided approach that does not fully reflect the overall picture of human rights.

The Vietnamese Government believes that ensuring and promoting human rights is first and foremost the responsibility and authority of each country. Countries have the responsibility to build a domestic legal system in accordance with the basic principles of international law, especially the United Nations Charter, taking into account the circumstances of each country to ensure that people enjoy human rights in the best way. Due to differences in historical circumstances, political regimes, development levels, traditional cultural values, etc., each country's approach to human rights may be different. Cooperation and dialogue between countries to promote and protect human rights is a necessary and objective requirement.

Vietnam supports the enhancement of international cooperation in the field of human rights on the basis of equal and constructive dialogue, mutual respect and understanding, and non-interference in each other's internal affairs, for the common goal of promoting and protecting human rights better and better. Vietnam also believes that no country has the right to use human rights issues as a tool to interfere in the internal affairs of other countries, cause confrontation, exert political pressure, even use force or make it a condition in economic and trade cooperation relations... with other countries.

During the 2021-2030 period, Vietnam plans to study and propose joining 15 more ILO conventions to promote international labor standards in Vietnam. Photo: Vietnam+

In an interdependent world, human rights can only be respected and protected in an environment of peace, security, equality and sustainable development, in which human values ​​are respected and protected. The struggle for human rights must be carried out simultaneously with measures to prevent wars, conflicts, terrorism, poverty, epidemics, transnational crimes... which daily and hourly threaten peace, security, independence and prosperity of every country, hindering the promotion and protection of human rights worldwide.

The above viewpoints of Vietnam are completely consistent with the principles, basic contents and progressive development trends of international law in general and in the field of human rights in particular. The consistent policy of the Vietnamese State is to continuously develop human rights. Based on that policy, to ensure that human rights are respected and implemented in the fullest possible manner, the Socialist Republic of Vietnam has been building and perfecting the legal system. According to Vietnam, once it has beenConstitutionand recognized by law, human rights will become the common will of the whole society, be obeyed by society and protected by law.

Immediately after gaining independence in 1945, human rights and civil rights were recognized in the 1946 Constitution of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam and then continued to be affirmed and expanded in the 1959, 1980 and 1992 Constitutions (amended in 2001). Currently, the 2013 Constitution of Vietnam, the highest legal document of the State of Vietnam, has solemnly, clearly and comprehensively recognized human rights and the content of these rights has been expressed throughout the chapters and sections of the Constitution. The human rights stipulated in the Constitution have been continuously specified in Vietnam's legal documents.

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It must be affirmed that the Constitution and laws of Vietnam fully reflect all the basic, universal human rights stated in the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international conventions of the United Nations on human rights.

This demonstrates the remarkable progress and great efforts of the Vietnamese State in respecting, protecting and ensuring human rights in the context that Vietnam is still in the process of building a socialist rule-of-law state, when the country's economic and social situation still faces many difficulties.

Vietnam was elected to the United Nations Human Rights Council for the 2023-2025 term. This result demonstrates Vietnam's active participation in the activities of the United Nations Human Rights Council; clearly affirms the consistent viewpoint and policy of the Vietnamese State on human rights, along with Vietnam's strong commitments and efforts to promote and protect human rights, which have been recognized, trusted and highly appreciated by the international community. With its new responsibility at the United Nations Human Rights Council, Vietnam will have the opportunity to contribute to promoting all human rights on the basis of objectivity, cooperation and dialogue... This result is also strong evidence to smash all plots and false arguments of some hostile individuals and organizations that aim to exploit human rights issues to sabotage Vietnam./.