Ambassadors, Heads of Delegation from 47 member countries of the UN Human Rights Council, 100 observer countries and representatives of UN agencies, international organizations, and non-governmental organizations attended the opening ceremony of the 51st session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland, on Monday (local time).
Ambassador Le Thi Tuyet Mai, Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the United Nations (UN), the World Trade Organization and other international organizations in Geneva, was among the attendees.
The UNSC session came after the UN General Assembly approved the UN Secretary-General’s nomination of Volker Türk, an Austrian, as High Commissioner for Human Rights to replace Michelle Bachelet of Chile, whose term ended in late August.
Mai congratulated Volker Türk for his new position and affirmed Vietnam’s support and cooperation with the High Commissioner and Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.
She shared the office’s concerns over three major global challenges which have huge impacts on the enjoyment of human rights, namely climate change, environmental pollution, and biodiversity degradation. She called on the international community to act more urgently to respond to these challenges.
The Vietnamese representative emphasized that the UN Human Rights Council and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights should respect the diverse historical and socio-cultural conditions of countries, promote constructive dialogue and cooperation to protect and promote human rights in accordance with fundamental human rights principles, including universality, objectivity, impartiality and non-selectivity.
The UN Human Rights Council’s 51st session will run for four weeks until October 7.
Source: VOV5