The United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) adopted 30 resolutions at the end of its 53rd regular session in Geneva on July 14, including one on climate change and human rights drafted and proposed by Vietnam, Bangladesh, and the Philippines that highlights the adverse impact of the natural phenomenon on livelihoods and human rights, emphasizing the need for international cooperation to address these impacts.
The session took place from June 19 – July 14 in both in-person and online formats, featuring five thematic panel discussions, deliberations and dialogues on 37 special procedures and human rights mechanisms of the UN, consultations on draft resolutions; and an urgent debate on the alarming rise in premeditated and public acts of religious hatred as manifested by recurrent desecration of the Holy Quran in some European and other countries.
The UNHRC also completed the procedural adoption of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) reports of 13 countries in Cycle IV.
The Vietnamese delegation, led by Assistant to Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Minh Vu, also actively joined the session with various statements and consultations. Along with Bangladesh and the Philippines, Vietnam also co-organized a thematic panel discussion on the adverse impact of climate change on the full realization of the right to food.
Earlier, the UNHRC ratified the 2023 Resolution on Climate Change and Human Rights with the theme of the adverse impact of climate change on livelihoods and its implications on human rights, which were co-sponsored by 80 countries as of July 14. It has been actively introduced by Vietnam, Bangladesh and the Philippines each year since 2014.
The Vietnamese side also actively delivered speeches in various sessions and discussions on climate change and the right to food, social protection and women's participation and leadership, the right to health and education, combating human trafficking, extreme poverty, and violence against women and girls.
In these speeches, Vietnam highlighted its priority to strengthening the rule of law, transparency, social security and public safety, as well as undertaking necessary legal and economic reform to support the post-pandemic recovery and step up inclusive and sustainable development.
Vietnam also affirmed its guiding principle of dialogue and cooperation, respect and understanding and human rights for all during its UNHRC membership term for 2023-2025.
