A session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva.

The Vietnamese delegation is led by Ambassador Duong Chi Dung, Head of the Vietnam Permanent Delegation at the United Nations.

Recently, at the United Nations Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, the United Nations Human Rights Council opened the 42nd regular meeting, attended by representatives of 47 member countries, over 100 observers. members, international organizations, and non-governmental organizations.

Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador Duong Chi Dung, Head of the Permanent Mission to Vietnam, along with the United Nations, the World Trade Organization and other international organizations in Geneva, led the Vietnamese delegation to the meeting.

The world has never faced such a big challenge as today

Speaking at the opening of the meeting, Ms. Michelle Bachelet, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights reaffirmed the priority to promote human rights in the context of climate change, Ms. Bachelet said that the world has never faced Big challenge like today.

Climate change is a factor to promote hunger, migration, exacerbate conflicts, affect economic development and increase inequality, social stress ... Climate change has a strong impact. to the enjoyment of the rights of all people, especially women and vulnerable groups, in all countries and regions.

According to Ms. Bachelet, this is a problem that no single country can solve but needs to promote cooperation, the cooperation of all countries and partners, through strong commitments, creative natural resources.

Ms. Bachelet emphasized that the United Nations Human Rights Council can play an important role in dealing with climate change.

Accordingly, there are five points that can guide the Council's actions in the field, including: (i) recognizing that climate change has a negative impact on the enjoyment of rights, development and peace; (ii) encourage broad and active participation of different actors, especially vulnerable groups, people directly affected by climate change such as women and indigenous people;

(iii) protect environmental activists, including through cooperation with UN agencies on the environment, promoting inter-regional initiatives on this issue; (iv) increase support to small island countries, which are most affected by climate change, in their efforts to adapt to climate change, including the integration of child rights. people on countries' climate change agendas;

(v) mobilizing the participation of businesses, through voluntary corporate commitments, as well as developing National Action Plans on enterprises and human rights to regulate business activities. karma.

In addition to focusing on climate change, the opening statement of the High Commissioner is also concerned about the specific human rights situation in some parts of the world such as tensions in Kashmir, peaceful protests in Hong Kong ( China), children of immigrant families in the United States, Mexico, the issue of migrants around the Mediterranean.

In Southeast Asia, she expressed concern about the Rohynga situation in Myanmar and the Cambodian situation. At the same time, she also welcomed progress on ensuring human rights in other countries and regions such as the agreement to return prisoners between Russia and Ukraine, the political agreement in Sudan ...

Vietnam actively participates in the United Nations Human Rights Council.

Ms. Bachelet also expressed her belief that with strong cooperation, effort and commitment, countries will protect their previous human rights achievements, together to overcome current challenges, including the challenge of climate change, towards a better future.

According to the agenda, the meeting had three thematic discussions on topics such as ensuring human rights in the context of unilateral sanctions, indigenous rights, and mainstreaming the gender approach in the work of The Human Rights Council also holds a dialogue on the rights of the elderly, the right to clean water and sanitation, unilateral sanctions, the human rights situation in Myanmar ... and reviews through the final reports. of the Universal Periodic Review Mechanism of 14 countries.

Tran Hang