Legal frameworks should be built to ensure equal rights for ethnic and religious groups, said National Assembly (NA) Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan at the 137th Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Assembly’s general debate in Saint Petersburg, Russia, on October 15.
Addressing the event themed “Promoting cultural pluralism and peace through inter-faith and inter-ethnic dialogue”, Ngan also urged increased supervision of the implementation of government policies that protect the rights of members of all religions and ethnic and cultural groups, contributing to national unity.
It is necessary to review and abolish laws and rules manifesting discrimination to ensure the involvement of people from all walks of life in the country’s politico-socio-economic activities, the top legislator said.
The IPU should encourage member countries to assess the efficiency of policies and laws toward ethnic and religious groups, while paying more attention to communications work to strengthen their cooperation, she said.
Ngan also proposed enhancing bilateral and multilateral cooperation between the countries and their legislative bodies in cultural, religious and ethnic affairs, calling on the countries to join hands to improve public awareness of inter-faith and inter-ethnic dialogue.
She also asked the IPU to step up collaboration between legislative bodies of its member countries and United Nations mechanisms and international organizations, aiming to promote peace, cooperation and solidarity between nations, religions and cultures within each country as well as between countries.- (VNS/VLLF)
