The United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) carried out final discussions of its 35th session in Geneva, Switzerland, on June 22-23, adopting 36 resolutions and a presidential statement, including a draft resolution on climate change and human rights co-created by Vietnam.

Ambassador Duong Chi Dung, head of Vietnam’s permanent delegation to the UN, the WTO and other international organisations in Geneva, attend a meeting of the UNHRC

This year’s resolution on climate change, co-created by Vietnam, the Philippines and Bangladesh, focuses on climate change’s impacts on migrants’ enjoyment of their rights and on cross-border migration. It calls on countries to issue climate change response policies which are in line with the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.

In the resolution, the UNHRC decides to organise a discussion on “human rights, climate change, migrants and persons displaced across international borders” to contribute to the intergovernmental process leading to the Global Compact on safe, orderly and regular migration in December 2017. It also asks the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to consider this theme and report to the UNHRC’s 37th session.

Aside from the three co-creating countries, the resolution was also co-sponsored by nearly 50 other countries.

Other resolutions approved by the UNHRC included those relating to the prevention of discrimination and the eradication of violence against women and girls, the right to education, youth and human rights, and migrants.

At the 35th session, Ambassador Duong Chi Dung, head of Vietnam’s permanent delegation to the UN, the WTO and other international organisations in Geneva, and other members of the Vietnamese delegation had many speeches at discussions on different issues.

They stressed that the UNHRC needs to work harder to promote dialogue and constructive cooperation while persisting in seeking balanced and satisfactory solutions to disputes.

The Vietnamese delegation also engaged in many common speeches of ASEAN, Francophone countries and other countries with the same viewpoints at discussions on issues of shared concern.

At this session, Vietnam co-sponsored the resolutions on the contribution of development to the enjoyment of all human rights, and on the eradication of discrimination against persons affected by leprosy and their family members.

It also worked with Australia, Germany, Madagascar and Fiji to successfully organise a fringe event on promoting and protecting coastal women’s rights amid climate change. The function drew more than 50 representatives of countries, UN agencies and non-governmental organisations.

The next session of the UNHRD is scheduled to be held in Geneva in September 2017.

Vietnam’s achievements in climate change response highlighted

Vietnamese Ambassador Duong Chi Dung highlighted Vietnam’s achievements in natural disaster mitigation and climate change response in his speech to a discussion session as part of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Humanitarian Affairs Segment (HAS) in Geneva, Switzerland on June 23. 

Vietnamese Ambassador Duong Chi Dung 

Dung, who is also head of Vietnam’s Permanent Mission to the UN, World Trade Organisation and other international organisations, said Vietnam has enforced the Law on Natural Disaster Prevention and Control, the national action plan on climate change response, the national strategy for natural disaster prevention, response and mitigation until 2020, green growth strategy and renewable energy development strategy until 2030, as well as shared experience in building an early-warning and flood forecast system, and search and rescue.

He called international attention to humanitarian issues arising from impacts of El Nino/La Nina that resulted in serious drought, flooding and saline intrusion in Vietnam and many other countries.

Reiterating Vietnam’s strong commitments to response to climate change, Dung stressed that the involvement of people from all backgrounds and strong international support are crucially important so that not any nation, region, community and individual are left behind in the regard.

According to him, Vietnam has been recognised as one of the most active members in the UN Development Progamme (UNDP)’s Response to El Nino and La Nina. 

Participants looked into humanitarian search and rescue in high-risk and affected areas, responsibilities of authorities and parties concerned, and respect to international law and relevant regulations.

This year, more than 141 million people in 37 countries need the UN humanitarian assistance with a budget amounting to 23.5 billion USD, 6.2 billion USD of which has been raised from philanthropists. 

Since 1998, the HAS has provided an important platform for participants to discuss investment attraction and coordination for the UN’s humanitarian assistance activities.

ECOSOC is one of the six UN bodies in charge of sustainable economic, social and environment development.

Vietnam is one of the 54 ECOSOC members during the 2016-2018 tenure.

VNA