Việtnam Actively Engages in 61st UN Human Rights Council Session in Geneva
Geneva, The Gulf Observer: Ambassador Mai Phan Dũng, Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the United Nations, the World Trade Organisation, and other international organisations in Geneva, is leading a Vietnamese delegation to the 61st session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), where the country is set to play an active and constructive role.
During the session, the delegation will engage proactively in consultations on 36 draft resolutions and introduce two key initiatives. These include a joint statement on promoting gender equality in the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and a side event co-organised with the South Korea, Japan, and Thailand addressing the human rights impacts of online fraud.
The Vietnamese delegation will actively participate in discussions on major global concerns such as climate change, children’s rights, the right to food, the rights of persons with disabilities, and other pressing issues of shared international interest.
In his opening remarks, António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, stated that the international human rights system is facing what he described as a full-scale attack. He observed that human rights are being undermined by prolonged conflicts, authoritarianism, widening inequality, misinformation, and the misuse of emerging technologies. He warned that when human rights are weakened, peace, development, and security are also at risk of rapid collapse.
Guterres reaffirmed the indispensable role of the UNHRC and its subsidiary mechanisms, including the Universal Periodic Review (UPR), describing them as critical tools for holding states accountable and safeguarding human dignity in today’s volatile global environment.
Similarly, Volker Türk, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, highlighted the growing concentration of power and the weakening of the rule of law in many parts of the world. He cautioned that technology, artificial intelligence, and natural resources could be exploited for the benefit of a limited few, posing serious threats to fundamental rights and freedoms.
The 61st session of the Human Rights Council is being held in person from February 23 to March 31. The session’s agenda includes seven thematic panel discussions, 30 interactive dialogues with Special Procedures mandate holders, the consideration of 84 thematic reports, and the adoption of Universal Periodic Review reports of 14 countries.
