11 August 2015
On Wednesday 11th August, representatives from Australian and international NGOs met with a delegation from Vietnam, which included Mr Vu Anh Quang who is Director General, Department of International Relations and Minister of Foreign Affairs, to discuss human rights issues as they relate to both countries. The discussion was facilitated by Mr David Robinson, who is Director of International Programs for the Australian Human Rights Commission. The Australian Council for Human Rights Education was represented at the table by Dr Paul Hine.
It is clear that Vietnam has made significant progress in the field of human rights over the last generation and that, through legislative reform and a law ordinance agenda, there is an ongoing commitment to improve human rights for all into the future. Mr Quang outlined the major achievements in human rights over recent years, informing that despite the global economic constriction, there have been no budget cuts to the marginalised in Vietnam nor any reduction in resource provision to advance the cause of human rights.
That said, there are still challenges, one of the most significant being the need to ensure the protection of human and civil rights for all at a time when the freedom of the individual is being balanced against issues of national security and border protection. That there is an ongoing commitment to civil, political and human rights in Vietnam is attested to by the extravagant reform agenda which has been signalled in a number of areas including the penal code, children, education, information safety, religious freedom, marriage discrimination (vis LBGT) and the democratic rights of association and protest.
In all, the meeting was a timely opportunity for the NGO representatives to be informed about human rights issues in Vietnam and to discuss the advocacy role of NGOs in supporting human rights both in Australia and across South East Asia. Mr David Robinson concluded the meeting by affirming that each and every country has its own human rights issues and is challenged to ensure that basic human rights exist for all despite age, gender, citizenship status, sexual orientation, disability and religious affiliation.