The UN Human Rights Council begins its 47th session. (Photo: VNA)Speaking at a dialogue session with UN High Commissionerfor Human Rights Michelle Bachelet, Mai affirmed Vietnam’sconsistent policy on promoting and protecting human rights.
She expressed the country's support for the work of the High Commissioner andthe UN's human right mechanisms, as well as for conducting practical, constructivedialogues on human rights issues, while emphasising human rights should not bepoliticised to interfere in internal affairs of sovereign states or tocriticise nations.
Regarding Vietnam’s fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, Mai said that Vietnamhas made every effort to ensure the people’s enjoyment of basic human rights,with the highest priority given to the protection of lives and health ofpeople, especially vulnerable groups, while maintaining economic growth.
The ambassador stressed that the COVID-19 vaccine fund established bythe Vietnamese government and widely supported by its people is one of themeasures that Vietnam has taken to promote its national vaccination strategy towards inclusive post-pandemic recovery.
The Vietnamese representative also called on countries to exertefforts to speed up the vaccine production process to ensure timely and equalaccess to vaccines to effectively control the pandemic.
Within the framework of the council’s 47th session, one of Vietnam’sconcerns is human rights in climate change, as it is one of the countries mostaffected by climate change.
Vietnam is planing to participate in organising a debate on therights of the elderly amidst climate change. On behalf of the core groupcomprising Bangladesh, the Philippines and Vietnam, the country will introduce a draft resolution on climate change and human rights in 2021, focusing on vulnerable groups.
The resolution has been introduced annually since 2014 to seek the UN HumanRights Council’s approval, with different themes for each year. Vietnam’s active engagement inthe compilation and adoption of the resolution as well as in the activities of the coregroup reflects its efforts in responding to climate change, and contributes to the implementation of its foreign policy of addressing common issues of the internationalcommunity in a proactive, active and responsible manner.
Addressing the opening session, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bacheletproposed countries place support for the full spectrum of all human rights atthe heart of every society's capacity to recover from the pandemic emergency –and at the core of the work of all UN bodies and teams.
She urged nations to consider COVID-19 vaccines as a common asset and stressed that the equal and wide distribution across the globe is a prerequisite for the world to soon control the pandemic./.
VNA
