VN's third-cycle UPR national report released

According to Viet Nam's third-cycle UPR national report announced at the workshop, the realisation of the recommendations has exerted positive impacts across all aspects of society in Viet Nam, especially in building human rights-related laws, ensuring social welfare, improving people’s living standards, and promoting cooperation and dialogues on human rights at regional and international levels. 

Since the 2014 UPR, Vietnam’s development achievements have been acknowledged by the international community, including its ahead-of-schedule completion of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the initial results of the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). 

Viet Nam’s per capita income has increased continuously and the income of poor households has risen from between 15-20 percent. Meanwhile, the multi-dimensional poverty rate dropped from 9.88 percent in 2015 to 7.69 percent last year. 

Viet Nam is one of the countries worldwide witnessing the fastest internet development pace, with more than 50 million internet users, the report said. 

The report also pointed out challenges and limitations regarding the legal framework, resources, and policies to promote and ensure human rights in Viet Nam, especially those of disadvantaged groups. 

It also proposed priorities to the Vietnamese Government in the time ahead in order to ensure each resident’s improved access to fundamental rights and freedom. 

Addressing the event, Caitlin Wiesen, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Country Director for Viet Nam, stressed the special significance of the implementation of the mechanisms to the UPR Working Group slated for January 2019. 

The UNDP will continue to coordinate closely with the Vietnamese Government to materialise mechanisms, thus contributing to better ensuring and promoting human rights in the country, she pledged. 

The third-cycle UPR national report, approved by the Prime Minister on October 17, 2018 and submitted to the UNHRC on October 22, 2018, was completed with the participation of 18 relevant Vietnamese ministries and agencies, said Dang Hoang Giang, chief of the foreign ministry office. 

The UPR is an inter-governmental mechanism of the UN Human Rights Council, aimed at reviewing issues related to the human rights of all UN member countries. Viet Nam first implemented the UPR in May 2009. –VNA