Việtnam Re-elected to UN Human Rights Council for 2026–2028 Term
New York, The Gulf Observer: The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) has re-elected Việtnam as a member of the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) for the 2026–2028 term, with an impressive 180 votes in favour — the highest within the Asia-Pacific group.
The election took place at the UN headquarters in New York on October 14 (local time), where 190 UN member states participated in the vote to select 14 new members of the UNHRC for the upcoming term. Alongside Việt Nam, other countries elected include India, Pakistan, Iraq, Egypt, South Africa, Mauritius, Angola, Estonia, Slovenia, Chile, Ecuador, Italy, and the United Kingdom.
Việt Nam stands out as the only Asia-Pacific nation serving on the Council for the 2023–2025 term to be re-elected for the next three-year term, underlining the international community’s confidence in its commitment to advancing and protecting human rights.
The re-election is viewed as a strong endorsement of Việt Nam’s active contributions, policy consistency, and credible engagement in multilateral forums, particularly in promoting dialogue, cooperation, and sustainable development. It also reflects global recognition of Việt Nam’s progress in human rights protection, legal reform, and inclusive development as part of its broader international integration strategy.
During its third tenure as a UNHRC member, Việt Nam plans to focus on eight priority areas: enhancing the Council’s operational effectiveness, addressing human rights challenges linked to climate change and digital transformation, promoting gender equality, protecting vulnerable groups, and advancing the rights to health, work, and education, as well as human rights education.
In its campaign for the 2026–2028 term, Việt Nam also made 12 voluntary commitments across various human rights areas. These commitments align closely with the country’s implementation of recommendations accepted under the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) cycle IV, as well as with obligations under human rights conventions to which Việt Nam is a party.
Việt Nam’s pledges further complement its national objectives to build a rule-of-law state, enhance legal and institutional reforms, and foster innovation and digital transformation as part of its long-term vision to become a developed, high-income nation by 2045.
The new term of UNHRC membership will officially commence on January 1, 2026.
