Việt Nam has reported its achievements in guaranteeing human rights in its third-cycle Universal Periodic Review (UPR), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Lê Thị Thu Hằng has said. — VNA/VNS Photo Văn Điệp

HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam has reported its achievements in guaranteeing human rights in its third-cycle Universal Periodic Review (UPR), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Lê Thị Thu Hằng has said.

At a ministry press conference in Hà Nội on Thursday, Hằng briefed the media about these outstanding achievements in the country’s third-cycle UPR that was submitted to the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC).

The UPR is an inter-governmental mechanism of the UNHRC that reviews human rights issues of all UN member countries every four or five years.

“Việt Nam supports the UNHRC’s UPR and is always serious in making the review and implementing the recommendations it accepted in the first-cycle UPR in 2009 and the second-cycle UPR in 2014,” Hằng said.

The third-cycle UPR deals with the guarantee of human rights in Việt Nam since the second-cycle UPR, updates laws and policies pertaining to human rights, reports on the outcomes of ensuring human rights and screens the implementation of the recommendations Việt Nam accepted in the second-cycle UPR. The report also defines the country’s prioritised commitments for the coming years.

By October 10, 2018, Việt Nam had implemented 175 out of the 182 recommendations it accepted in the second-cycle UPR, or 96.2 per cent. The remaining seven recommendations are being implemented or are being considered for implementation.

The report lists several achievements of Việt Nam in ensuring human rights, including the adoption of the 2013 Constitution and the revision and issuance of more than 90 legal documents relating to guaranteeing human rights.

Việt Nam’s per capita income has increased and the income of poor households has risen from between 15-20 per cent. Meanwhile, the multi-dimensional poverty rate dropped from 9.88 per cent in 2015 to 7.69 per cent last year.

Universal kindergarten education for five-year-old children and universal primary education has been carried out all 63 cities and provinces. The percentage of women owning enterprises hits 27.8 per cent while the percentage of female National Assembly deputies in the 2016-21 tenure is 26.71 per cent.

There were achievements in ensuring civil and political rights, including the right to equality before the law, the freedom of the press and internet freedom.

People’s religious and spiritual life has been thriving with more than 95 per cent of the population leading a spiritual or religious life, Hằng said.

At the press briefing, Hằng confirmed there were no Vietnamese affected by protests in France in the recent days, according to the Vietnamese Embassy in France.

According to France’s Ministry of the Interior, no foreigners have been affected.

The Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has ordered Vietnamese Embassy in France to follow the case, take protective measures for Vietnamese citizens and issue alerts to warn Vietnamese to stay away from demonstration areas.

Vietnamese citizens can contact hotline of Vietnamese Embassy in France at +33-01-44146400 or citizen protection hotline at +84-981-848484 for assistance, she said. — VNS