Geneva (VNA) – The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)has shown its strong commitments to promoting and ensuring the rights ofchildren through a multitude of important documents such as the ASEAN CommunityVision 2025 and the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community Blueprint 2025.

Ambassador Le Thi Tuyet Mai, Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the UN, theWorld Trade Organisation (WTO) and other international organisations in Geneva,made the affirmation while representing ASEAN member countries to address the43rd session of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights(OHCHR) in Geneva on February 24.

Mai stressed that with the dogged determination to realise the UN Convention onthe Rights of the Child, the ASEAN members would continue close cooperationwith the UN’s organisations to promote children’s rights, particularly in thecontext of evolution of the fourth industrial revolution, climate change, anddisease outbreaks.

The Vietnamese diplomat said that the move would undoubtedly help the bloc tosuccessfully concretise the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

In his remark on the opening day of the session, UN Secretary-General AntonioGuterres laid stress on the progress in human rights since the establishment ofthe UN in 1985, while underscoring that ensuring human rights is target andmotive of global peace, security and development.

He voiced his concern over serious and large-scale violations of human rightssuch as social inequality, unequal treatment of women, and poverty, amongothers.

Guterres detailed a seven-point blueprint for positive change, calling for countries’coordination in sustainable development, crisis prevention, gender equality,development of the digital age, and freedom of expression and civil society,among others.

Echoing the call, HighCommissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet said that as threats to humanrights, development and peace are on the rise, international cooperation shouldbe put in place to ensure that future generation will live in peace andfreedom.

Countries need to obey international regulations on human rights, and endunequal treatment to promote inclusive socio-economic development, she said,adding it is necessary to carry out the UN’s 2030 Agenda for SustainableDevelopment, Global Compact for Migration (GCM) and Paris Agreement.

Heads of states and high-level leaders will discuss various issues at thesession, including human rights protection, promoting gender equality, and raisingpublic awareness of the disabled and African-born people.

Besides several dialogues on rights of the disabled, prevention of child trafficking,freedom of religion and prevention of terrorism, the session will consider theadoption of some resolutions and national reports on human rights of 14countries under the Universal Periodic Review (UPR).
The session will run untilMarch 20./.