In Vietnam, human rights have been affirmed as inseparable from the nation's rights. (Source: VNA)

In Vietnam, human rights have been affirmed as inseparable from the nation's rights. The view that humans are both the goal and the driving force of the cause of development, industrialization, and modernization of the country has been expressed throughout the platforms, guidelines, and policies of the Party and State.

People as the center of every decision

The 13th Party National Congress documents continue to affirm: "The people are put at the center and subjects of the work of innovation, building and protecting the Fatherland. All guidelines and policies must genuinely come from the people's lives, aspirations, legitimate rights, and interests, taking the people's happiness and prosperity as the goal to strive for.

The international community highly appreciates Vietnam's achievements in ensuring human rights. One of those recognitions is that Vietnam was elected as a United Nations Human Rights Council member for the 2023-2025 term. This recognizes Vietnam's position and shows international trust in our country's responsible contributions.

In particular, protecting and promoting human rights is Vietnam's consistent policy to improve people's lives and enjoyment rights, leaving no one behind. Over the past decade, poverty reduction achievements in Vietnam have been impressive. Vietnam has continuously stepped up its human development index ranked by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).

Over the past 30 years, the human development index has continuously improved by 40% since Vietnam participated in the survey. Vietnam's 2021 human development index reached 0.7, placing our country in the high human development group and ranking 115/191 countries. At the same time, the poverty rate has decreased continuously and significantly due to increased high-productivity jobs and improved social services and social protection.

Achievements to be proud of

After more than 30 years of participating in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Children, Vietnam has promoted investment in resources, attention, and participation of the entire society to ensure that children have a safe, happy, and prosperous life and development. At the 91st session, the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) hailed Vietnam's achievements in developing laws and policies to protect children's rights.

In addition, the right to freedom of belief and religion is increasingly being guaranteed, especially since the Law on Religious Belief took effect on January 1, 2018. During the past 20 years (2003-2022), religious dignitaries, positions, and worship facilities have increased.

Vietnam is one of the few countries that completed the Millennium Goals early, actively and proactively making firm commitments to implementing the United Nations' sustainable development goals. (Source: VNA)

Vietnam has been and is continuing to build a state of the people, by the people, and for the people, with consistent policies, ensuring human rights are integrated into all development strategies and programs of the country. These achievements have been recognized and highly appreciated by the international community.

In particular, Vietnam is one of the few countries that completed the Millennium goals early, actively and proactively making firm commitments to implementing the United Nations' sustainable development goals.

Looking back, during the recent COVID-19 pandemic in Vietnam, all people who had access to medical services received free COVID-19 vaccines and free treatment. This is a very remarkable effort in Vietnam. According to the United Nations Development Program Assessment of Global Human Development, Vietnam has increased two places in the global ranking, from 117/189 countries (in 2019) to 115/191 countries in 2021.

According to Ms. Caitlin Wiesen, former Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Program in Vietnam: ''Vietnam deserves to be praised. I want to emphasize Vietnam's role in the United Nations Human Rights Council. We truly feel the commitment of the Vietnamese Government to put people at the center of development. The important thing that the Vietnamese Government has done for socio-economic development is so that no one is left behind''.

Proactive and positive commitment

Vietnam's proactive and positive commitment to implementing the United Nations' sustainable development goals has helped the human development index (HDI) in Vietnam increase by 45.8% in 2020, putting Vietnam on the list of countries with the highest HDI growth rate in the world. In the Report marking a decade of the United Nations implementing the initiative to promote national happiness, Vietnam's happiness index increased by 12 places, from position 77 in 2022 to position 65 in 2023 globally.

In addition, Vietnam actively promotes initiatives and solutions in areas such as the right to live in peace, the right to development, the rights of vulnerable groups, gender equality, and the right to access medicine. Health, education, employment, response to climate change, epidemics... Vietnam has participated in most basic international conventions on human rights, including the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination.

The world is changing rapidly with increasing challenges and barriers. Therefore, the burden is also placed on each member of the Human Rights Council in the next term to harmonize countries' interests, ensuring all people's rights and interests. Vietnam's achievements in securing and protecting human rights are undeniable values; they continue to be the driving force, joining hands with humanity to protect, ensure, and sustainably promote human rights.