Together with running for aseat in the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) for the2014-2016 tenure, Vietnam has made numerous efforts to realise its viewof human rights as a common value and aspiration of human beings as wellas represent its consistent policy of respecting and ensuring humanrights, and enhancing international cooperation in this field. From achievements and experience from itscomprehensive renewal process based on three pillars: economic growth,social progress and equality, and guarantee of human rights, Vietnam hasmade positive contributions to joint efforts by the internationalcommunity to fostering and better protecting human rights in the worldover the past 26 years. In Vietnam , humans areboth the target and motivation of its development. Every policy of thecountry aims to serve the people. Vietnam’s Constitution fully andcomprehensively acknowledges all human rights on economic, social,cultural and civil issues. Basic rights andfreedom of human beings have been guaranteed in a more effective andfuller manner. Over the past five years, the country has maintained ahigh economic growth rate (about 6 percent on average), createdadditional 8 million jobs. The unemployment rate in urban areas fell to4.5 percent while the rate of poor households dropped to 9.5 percent. Social security has been ensured and people’s accessto health care services has been improved, especially for children, poorand ethnic minority groups, while the human development index has beenraising continuously. Vietnam has fulfilledmany Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) ahead of schedule and is ontrack to reach the remaining goals. Together withthose achievements, the people’s active participation and voice havebeen heightened, with their rights being better guaranteed through themore effective performance of direct democracy rights, including theright to stand for election and to vote, and indirect ones viapeople-elected bodies such as the National Assembly and People’s Councilat all levels. The people also have the right toexpress their ideas and supervise the operations of the complaint anddenunciation mechanism. Press activities in Vietnamhave developed strongly in both quantity and form while the access toand application of information technology and the Internet have boomed,making Vietnam one of the leaders in this field as valued by UNprofessional bodies. Religious life has becomebusier with the development of all major religions in the world andlocally-born ones, which was reflected by the increasing numbers ofreligious organisations, followers, worshipping places, trainingfacilities and publications. Vietnam is memberto eight important international conventions on human rights, includingthe International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights; theInternational Covenant on Civil and Political Rights; the InternationalConvention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination;and the International Convention on the Elimination of all Forms ofDiscrimination against Women. Vietnam was thefirst country in Asia to ratify the International Convention on theRights of the Child. In addition, the country joined 18 treaties of theInternational Labour Organisation (ILO). In December2011, Vietnam ratified the United Nations Convention againstTransnational Organised Crime and the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress andPunish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children; and the UNConvention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. It recentlysigned the United Nations Convention against Torture. The country has also voted for the Resolution on building thecomprehensive and integral international convention to promote andprotect the rights and dignity of older persons and will activelyparticipate in the building of this convention. Vietnam has proactively participated in international activities onhuman rights at UN agencies and forums to which it is a member. Thecountry made active contributions to the affairs of the Human RightsCommittee (2001-2003), the Socio-Economic Council (2000-2002), theSocial Development Committee (2002-2004 and 2012-2014), and the UNSecurity Council (2008-2009). In the framework ofthe UN Security Council, Vietnam hosted negotiations on theStatement of its President on “children and armed conflict” andResolution 1889 on “women and peace and security”. Vietnam highly values the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) under theHuman Rights Council, considering it an effective mechanism to shareinformation and experience as well as strengthen mutual understandingamong countries, thus fostering and better guaranteeing human rights. The Human Rights Council and its member countriesappreciated Vietnam for its serious preparations for the first UPRReport in 2009 with plentiful contents and a constructive approach. Vietnam accepted 93 out of 123 recommendations of the UPR Working Group and is actively implementing them. In addition, regional countries acknowledged Vietnam ’s practicalcontributions to enhancing ASEAN solidarity and cooperation, includingcooperation in human rights, especially in the building of the ASEANCharter and Community as well as the establishment and operation of theASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR). Vietnam actively contributed to drafting the ASEAN Human RightsDeclaration, which was adopted at the ASEAN Summit in Phnom Penh,Cambodia in November 2012. The declaration affirmed that ASEANcommitments on human rights are in line with international standards,creating a framework for increasing ASEAN cooperation in promoting andprotecting human rights in the region. Vietnamhas also strengthened bilateral cooperation and dialogue with manycountries to share information and experience in order to betterguarantee human rights. Especially, the country has set up an annualhuman rights dialogue mechanism with the US, the EU, Switzerland,Norway and Australia. Relevant parties have had positiveassessments on the results of the dialogues. Withits policy of active and proactive international integration, Vietnamhas actively contributed to the common affairs of the Human RightsCouncil, especially in issues of its strength and expertise. Thanks tothis, the country has heightened its voice and position, and togetherwith other countries struggled to protect and promote progressiveprinciples and contents on human rights.-VNA