The establishment of a national agency to protect human rights was among several suggestions made at a conference held by the Foreign Affairs Committee of the National Assembly (NA) and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in Hanoi on December 10.
The conference, which focused on the role of the NA in upholding international conventions and national laws on human rights, recognized the progress made by Vietnam on multiple fronts.
Since the country adopted its renewal policy, the NA has promulgated 305 laws to institutionalize the pragmatic perspectives of the Party and State on protecting human rights as well as the rights of citizens, said Ngo Duc Manh, vice chairman of the NA Foreign Affairs Committee.
“The NA’s legislative role at all levels is fundamental in developing and passing new laws that advance human rights,” said Pratibha Mehta, UN Resident Coordinator to Vietnam.
She committed that the UN would support Vietnam to facilitate knowledge sharing and provide technical advice on best practices from around the world as a way to support the NA’s legislative and oversight functions in strengthening human rights.-
