Socialist Republic of Vietnam

Vietnam, as a committed member of the UN Commission on Human Rights for 2001-2003, will extend its constructive co-operation for the cause of human rights of every individual, every community and every nation, said Ton Nu Thi Ninh, Assistant to the foreign minister.


Ms Ninh delivered a speech at the 58th session of the Human Rights Commission in Geneva on April 2, highlighting Vietnam's great efforts and achievements with respect to democracy and human rights.


She said: "Conceptually a more explicit and prominent place has been given in recent years to democracy and human rights; human rights are a goal stated in our 1992 Constitution. This is in keeping with Vietnam's broader goal of creating a prosperous people, a strong nation, and an equitable, democratic, and civilised society."


"Law making has been an important focus: we have had to fill sizeable areas of legal vacuum, amend existing laws to adapt them to the new conditions and approaches, and adhere to numerous international human rights instruments. These include the 15 ILO Conventions that we have ratified since rejoining that organisation 10 years ago, most notably the core Conventions 100, 111 and 182. Vietnam also acceded to two recently put forward protocols on Children's Rights. Vietnam has been a party to three conventions and signed one protocol against terrorism. In keeping with its principled position against terrorism, Vietnam is considering acceding to some other related international instruments."


Ms Ninh asserted that implementation of social and economic rights is one of the strengths of Vietnam, mentioning the following facts and figures: "Vietnam's Human Development Index (HDI) position stands about twenty ranks above its gross domestic product (GDP) per capita rank; in terms of GDP per capita Vietnam could qualify for least developed country status but its literacy and basic health indicator are above the established threshold."

The World Bank, the UNDP and numerous NGOs concur in recognising three prime achievements of Vietnam in the past decade: reducing poverty by half down to 17%, sustaining an average economic growth of around 7%, and integrating our country with the outside world."

Regarding the fight against terrorism and its impact on human rights, Ms Ninh said: "In fact we are witnessing a reinforcement of unilateralism, in so far as while calling for broad international support and participation in combating terrorism, the main proponent leaves no room for others to take part in analysing the problems root causes determining what the fight against terrorism's main objectives should be, and determining the process and means of achieving what should be consensual goals."

"...Is it not disquieting that, in the name of bringing to justice purported culprits in the World Trade Centre attack - whose direct guilt has yet to be proved through due process of law - the victim of the attack is engaging in arbitrary interpretation of international conventions?"

She spoke about non-governmental organisations' significant role in human rights protection and asked them to act more independently.

"We recognise that, with regard to human rights, NGOs have a particularly significant role to play. At the same time, one straightforward qualification needs to be added: NGOs, like all those dealing with human rights, should be held accountable just as governments are, for their pronouncements and accusations as well as their financial and political independence."

She stressed: "We, the governments in the developing world, are more vulnerable than those in developed countries to NGOs' sometimes hasty or unfounded conclusions or outright slanderous accusations because of our limited access to the world media." (VNA)