UN chief congratulates Vietnam on Human Rights Council seat

By Ngoc Anh October 14, 2022 | 03:03 am PT

U.N. Secretary General António Guterres (R) and Vietnam ambassador Dang HOang Giang at a meeting in New York, the U.S., October 13, 2022. Photo courtesy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

U.N. Secretary General António Guterres congratulated Vietnam Thursday for securing a seat at the body's Human Rights Council for the 2023-2025 term.

Receiving Vietnam's ambassador Dang Hoang Giang at the U.N. headquarters in New York, Guterres said he believed Vietnam would continue to make positive, effective contributions to promoting and protecting human rights.

Vietnam's Ministry of Foreign Affairs also cited Guterres as saying he would officially visit Vietnam and join the commemoration of the 45th year anniversary of Vietnam joining the U.N. (1977-2022). He said the visit will deliver a strong message about the U.N.’s appreciation of the Vietnam-U.N. relationship over the past 45 years.

Giang said Guterres’s visit would bolster the Vietnam-U.N. relationship and would be a testament to the country’s commitment to the international organization.

On Tuesday, Vietnam became one of 14 countries elected by the United Nations General Assembly to the U.N. Human Rights Council for the 2023-2025 term. The other members are: Algeria, Bangladesh, Belgium, Chile, Costa Rica, Georgia, Germany, Kyrgyzstan, Maldives, Morocco, Romania, South Africa, and Sudan.

This is the second time Vietnam has been elected to the UNHCR after the 2014-2016 term.