Cong ethnic people in Nam Khao commune of Muong Te district, the northern mountainous province of Lai Chau (Photo: VNA)

Tran Chi Mai, Deputy Director of the International Cooperation Department at the Committee for Ethnic Minority Affairs, informed that Vietnam’s combined 15th to 17th periodic report on the implementation of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD), which covers 2013-2019, was approved by the CERD at its 3035th - 3036th meetings in Geneva in November 2023.

Following the review, the CERD published its concluding observations on December 27, 2023, which comprised 52 sections. In response, the Committee for Ethnic Minority Affairs, under the Prime Minister’s directive, is developing a comprehensive action plan aimed at enhancing the implementation of the ICERD in Vietnam and recommendations by the CERD.

The plan, expected to be issued by the end of 2024, seeks to ensure that ethnic minorities fully enjoy their rights in all aspects in accordance with Vietnam’s Constitution, laws, and socio-economic conditions of Vietnam in general and of mountainous and ethnic areas in particular.

The plan will focus on four key areas: integrating CERD provisions into national legislation, enhancing the enforcement of regulations on ethnic minority rights, promoting ethnic minority rights through public awareness and educational activities, and strengthening international cooperation and reporting under the ICERD framework.

The plan identifies tasks to be carried out to align domestic laws with CERD standards, particularly in anti-discrimination and racial equality, improve the enforcement of legal regulations on the rights of ethnic minorities by enhancing complaint handling mechanisms and the exercise of ethnic minority rights in judicial processes. Additionally, it will reinforce policies that guarantee access to education, socio-economic development, and cultural preservation for ethnic minorities.

Public awareness campaigns will be emphasised to promote understanding of ethnic minority rights and anti-discrimination. These will include educational programmes for teachers on human rights, training for law enforcement officers and officials in mountainous and ethnic minority areas, and legal assistance for ethnic minority people and residents in mountainous and ethnic minority areas.

The Committee for Ethnic Minority Affairs will also focus on fulfilling Vietnam’s international obligations under ICERD and carrying out external communication activities highlighting the country’s human rights achievements and strengthening international cooperation.

Since defending the fifth CERD report, the Committee for Ethnic Minority Affairs has collaborated with various ministries to protect ethnic minority rights. This includes the National Target Programme for socio-economic development in ethnic minority and mountainous areas and supporting local governments in organising ethnic minority congresses.

A comprehensive survey on the socioeconomic development of 53 ethnic minority groups is also underway, contributing to the ongoing protection and development of Vietnam’s ethnic minority communities.