Việt Nam’s hallmarks on human rights journey for the people

December 10,kết quả bóng đá fa 2024 - 12:57 Your browser does not support the audio element. Việt Nam has made significant strides in ensuring human rights across various aspects of social life. Civil, economic, political, and cultural rights are enshrined in the Party's guidelines and the State's policies and laws.

 

Women take part in a literacy class in Mường Pồn Commune, Điện Biên District of the northern mountainous province of Điện Biên. VNA.VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam's greatest human right achievement is ensuring the well-being and happiness for 100 million people, with democracy, peace, security, safety, and the maximum promotion of human factor, Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính has stated, which succinctly reflects the core stance of the Vietnamese Party and State on protecting human rights and not leaving anyone behind during the development process, a hallmark of socialism in Việt Nam.

The achievements in ensuring human rights in Việt Nam over the past 79 years since its establishment, and nearly 40 years of Đổi Mới (Renewal), primarily aim at delivering tangible benefits to every citizen and enhancing Việt Nam's image on the global stage.

Việt Nam's struggle for national independence, reunification, and its socio-economic development efforts always have the ultimate goal of ensuring the lives and rights of the Vietnamese people. In other words, every achievement in the country’s development is for the people.

Since 2019, Việt Nam’s GDP has grown 25 per cent while the household poverty rate has reduced by 1.5 per cent annually. With effective poverty reduction alleviation measures under the motto of "leaving no one behind," the household poverty rate nationwide had dropped to 1.93 per cent by the end of September 2024. In the same period, more than VNĐ6 trillion (US$236.4 million) was raised for the campaign to eliminate temporary and dilapidated housing. Việt Nam now ranks 54th out of 166 countries in the Sustainable Development Index, advancing one position compared to 2023.

Professor Carl Thayer from the University of New South Wales at the Australian Defence Force Academy said he is impressed by Việt Nam’s burgeoning economy, with a projected growth rate of 6.1 - 7 per cent in 2024 and alongside a sharp decline in poverty. He particularly noted the social welfare achievements, including the increase of minimum wage for workers since mid-2024.

Professor Reena Marwah from the University of Delhi, who is also Secretary-General of the Association of Asia Scholars, emphasised Vietnam’s impressive progress across all sectors, not just trade and investment but also in raising per capita income. Vietnamese people have seen a significant improvement in their quality of life, with per capita income rising from around $200 to over $4,000 by 2024.

Besides these economic achievements, Việt Nam has made significant strides in ensuring human rights across various aspects of social life. Civil, economic, political, and cultural rights are enshrined in the Party's guidelines and the State's policies and laws.

Jonathan Pincus, Senior International Economist at the UN Development Programme (UNDP) in Việt Nam, stated that human development has always been central to Việt Nam’s development policy since the early days. Over the last decade, major progress has been made, particularly in access to education. Health indicators have also notably improved.

Việt Nam’s health insurance coverage has increased to 94.1 per cent, up from 90.9 per cent in 2000. The 2024 World Happiness Report placed Việt Nam 54th out of 143 countries, an improvement of 11 places.

Ramlaal Khalidi, UNDP Resident Representative in Việt Nam, highlighted the country’s continuous improvement in the Human Development Index (HDI). She noted that Việt Nam is now among the countries with high HDI performance, attributing the result to the country’s sustainable development orientation.

Professor Thayer held that human rights protection in Việt Nam is reflected in areas such as gender equality, sustainable development goals, public health, education, and policies for ethnic minorities, and the treatment of the LGBQ+ community.

Meanwhile, Việt Nam has also demonstrated its ongoing efforts and sense of responsibility as a member of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) for the 2023-2025 term. At the recent 57th session of the UNHRC, Việt Nam made active contributions by chairing several initiatives and co-sponsoring many others, including some joint statements of ASEAN. The country chaired the drafting and presentation of the joint statement on promoting the human right to vaccination, while hosting the international dialogue with the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to development.

Commenting onViệt Nam's election as an Asian-Pacific representative in the UNHRC for two tenures, Thayer noted that the international community strongly supports the country. Layton Pike, a member of the Advisory Board of the Australia - Việt Nam Policy Institute, expressed confidence that as a member of the UNHRC, Việt Nam have opportunities to collaborate with Australia and other regional countries to promote fundamental human rights globally. The council has approved the results of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) for Việt Nam in the fourth cycle.

Commenting on Việt Nam's successful tenure on the UNHRC, Professor Thayer noted that the international community strongly supports Việt Nam. a member of the Australia-Việt Nam Policy Institute (AVPI)'s advisory board, expressed confidence that, as a member of the UNHRC, Việt Nam will have opportunities to collaborate with Australia and other regional countries to promote global human rights.

Speaking on the sidelines of the 57th UNHRC session, World Peace Council (WPC) Executive Secretary Iraklis Tsavdaridis praised Việt Nam’s consistent policy on protecting and promoting human rights, particularly its achievements in eradicating extreme poverty and quickly improving its international rankings despite considerable challenges during the national construction. Việt Nam has continued to focus on the protection of human rights, firstly the right to peace, well-being, prosperity, and living condition improvement day by day.

In a letter to the national conference on human rights held in October 2024, Party General Secretary Tô Lâm reaffirmed that the implementation of the consistent viewpoint on human rights is a key factor in forming the great national solidarity bloc, combining the nation's strength with the power of the era under the Party's leadership to guide Việt Nam's revolution to navigate all challenges to secure one victory to others. This encapsulates the hallmarks in Việt Nam's journey to ensure human rights. Tsavdaridis, who describes Việt Nam as a resilient nation, expressed confidence in witnessing further progress in the country's development, bringing prosperity, happiness, and well-being to its people. — VNS