(VOVworld) – A conference to discuss international conventions and Vietnam’s law on human rights opened in Hanoi on Wednesday to mark UN Human Rights Day December 10. Delegates lauded Vietnam’s approval of the 2013 Constitution as a political and legal foundation to ensure full, comprehensive human rights in Vietnam. In its recent session, the National Assembly ratified the UN Convention against Torture and the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, demonstrating Vietnam’s commitment to protecting and promoting human rights. Hoang Van Nghia, Deputy Director of the Human Rights Research Institute of the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics and Public Administration, said the National Assembly plays an important role in promoting and protecting human rights: “The National Assembly makes laws, supervises law enforcement, and introduces and applies rights-based approaches. It is essential that National Assembly deputies have a thorough understanding of the basic principles of international laws on human rights and the supervisory and implementation mechanisms of international human rights conventions.”

UN Resident Coordinator in Vietnam Pratibha Mehta said that in its 2014 Universal Periodic Report Vietnam accepted many recommendations including joining international human rights institutions, protecting and ensuring freedom of information, speech, and association, and reducing the number of criminals sentenced to death. Other recommendations included improving the legal and judicial system, focusing on vulnerable groups, increasing gender equality, reducing poverty, and increasing access to basic services. She said that as the Vietnamese National Assembly plays an important role in safeguarding human rights, it needs to work with the government in formulating action plans to implement these recommendations.

The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) released a communiqué in Bangkok on Tuesday praising the Vietnamese National Assembly’s approval of a resolution ratifying the UN Convention against Torture and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Matilda Bogner, Regional Chief Representative of the UN Office said the approval honors one of the commitments Vietnam made when it joined the UN Human Rights Council.