(VNA) - Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh has affirmed Vietnamese Government’s consistent policy of ensuring human rights, on the basis of the understanding that human rights are universal values.

The policy also has its roots in the nation’s thousand-year-old historic and cultural traditions and the Vietnamese people’s aspirations, the minister said at the 22 nd meeting of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva on Monday.
FM Minh underlined the country’s policies and laws designed to protect human rights, as well as its achievements, especially in economic growth, poverty reduction, which contribute to ensuring the people’s fundamental rights in all fields. He affirmed Vietnam ’s intention to make more contributions to international cooperation in the field. Minh further emphasised that the country’s candidacy for the Human Rights Council for the term 2014-2016 shows its commitment to active, constructive and responsible participation in the work of the Council.
The minister expressed his concern that although unprecedented progress has been realised in the field of human rights over the last decades, formidable challenges remained in all corners of the world. Poverty, malnutrition, epidemics, illiteracy, and environmental degradation continue to take their toll, first and foremost on women, children, persons with disabilities, the poor, the elderly, migrants, and minority groups.