At theevent, Luong delivered a speech on Vietnam’s achievements andmeasures to ensure the rights of ethnic minorities.
He affirmed that the Vietnamese State’s policy is that all ethnicgroups are equal and united, respect and support each other’sdevelopment.
Since 1992, Vietnamese law has beendesigned to meet the basic rights and legal interests of ethnicminorities. In the last 10 years, the National Assembly has promulgated38 laws directly relating to this issue.
Up to 17.27 percent of NA deputies belong to ethnic minority groups.
Ethnic groups see their cultural identities respected and theirlanguages taught in State education. All communes in ethnic minorityareas are connected by road and have electricity, fresh water, schools,postal and healthcare services, almost of them have access toentertainment services like television and radio.
The Vietnamese delegation pointed out that despite several importantachievements, ensuring the rights of ethnic minority people has itschallenges. They are in remote locations, have poor quality humanresources, insufficient land for farming, difficult living conditionsand limited access to social services.
Luong saidthat in the coming time, the Vietnamese State will continuedeveloping, supplementing and completing its legal system and policies.It will increase investment for areas inhabited by ethnic minoritypeople, focus on solving the issues of agricultural land and water fordaily use, as well as ensure regulations on grassroots-level democracy.
The State will support ethnic minority people inimproving their capacity and knowledge to effectively participate at alllevels of authority apparatus, he added.
Accordingto the Deputy Minister, Vietnam is united. It has 54 ethnic groups,including 53 ethnic minority groups, which reside next to one another.No ethnic group lives separately according to territorial areas.
Vietnam will effectively implement international treaties andconventions on human rights, including declarations on the rights of theethnic minority groups in terms of nationality, race, religion andlanguage, he said.
The Vietnamese Government isinterested in human rights, especially the rights of ethnic minoritycommunities, ethnic and religious groups, he stressed.-VNA