Vietnam takes initiative in joining CERD

Vietnam acceded to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination 1982 (hereinafter referred to as the CERD) and submitted four national reports on the implementation of the CERD in 1983, 1993, 2000 and 2012.

Vietnam attached great importance to and seriously implemented recommendations of the 2012 CERD Committee, and made a comprehensive review to develop the 5th National Report for the 2013-2019 period.

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The consistent policy of the Vietnamese State is to ensure the equality, solidarity and mutual respect among all ethnic groups for mutual progress; ethnic groups regardless of majority or minority, high or low development level, are equal in rights and obligations in all areas of social life and guaranteed by the Constitution and law.

Ethnic minorities enjoy all human rights and citizenship of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, plus special priority rights in accordance with the Constitution and the law.

Vietnamese State pays special attention to the ethnic minorities

Over the past years, with specific programs, the Vietnamese State has paid special attention to better ensure the cultural rights of ethnic minorities.

Ethnic minorities have the right to equally participate in activities of cultural life and to preserve their own cultural identity. Ethnic minorities are given preferential treatment and the rights for cultural enjoyment and have the responsibility to preserve their traditional culture, their languages and writings in accordance with the law, to preserve and promote their traditional values; implementing specialized policies for artisans of ethnic minorities.

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The Government promotes the application of the global geo-park model to create livelihoods for ethnic minorities in provinces that have global geo-parks like Ha Giang and Cao Bang and continues to build new global geo-parks in the northern mountainous provinces and the Central Highlands. The Vietnamese State also strengthens international cooperation in the field of culture for sustainable development of ethnic minority areas, preserving cultural identities of ethnic minority communities...

In recent years, Vietnam's specific laws and policies have helped ethnic minorities to access service locations more easily and fully, especially essential infrastructure that have been developed through the provisions of the Road Traffic Law 2008 (Article 5); Law on Water Resources 2012 (Articles 4 and 45).

Communication activities promoted throughout the country have contributed to raising awareness and changing behavior of rural people in the use of clean water, standard toilets, practicing hygiene and environmental protection activities. The people's hygienic habits and behavior have been improved.

The Electricity Law 2004 (amended in 2012) (Article 60) regulates the creation of favorable conditions for people in remote, ethnic minority areas, and areas with extremely difficult socio-economic conditions to use electricity for production and daily life.

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The historical landmark is that the Politburo directed the Government to formulate and submit to the National Assembly for approval the master project (Resolution No. 88/2019/QH14) and to approve the national program on social-economic development in the ethnic minority and mountainous areas in the period 2021 - 2030 (Resolution No. 120/2020/QH14). This event is a great milestone in the history of ethnic minority-related affairs, which is praised by ethnic minorities as a new vitality, expected to create a new breakthrough in ethnic minority-related affairs and the implementation of the ethnic minority policies of the Party and State to ensure the best realization of the rights of ethnic minorities in the new situation.

In the new circumstance, the Vietnamese State will continue to perfect the legal system, mechanisms and policies, and mobilize resources for development to ensure equality, respect, solidarity, and harmonious settlement of relations between ethnic groups, to help each other develop, creating changes in economic, cultural and social development in ethnic minority areas.

In order to better implement the role of a member of the CERD, the Vietnamese State commits to promote communication, education and awareness on the CERD throughout the country in general and especially in the ethnic minority and mountainous areas in particular. Along with that is strengthening the inspection, supervision and evaluation of law enforcement, especially the supervisory role of the people, unions, and socio-political organizations.

In addition, Vietnam will continue to strengthen international cooperation on the implementation of the CERD to share international experiences and lessons in ensuring the rights of ethnic minorities and foreigners in Vietnam, against all forms of discrimination.

Hoa Binh