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Sr. Col. Tran Viet Trung speaks at the event. |
Lieutenant Colonel Dao Anh Toi, Deputy Director of the Department of Legal Affairs and Administrative, Judicial Reform, and Senior Colonel Tran Viet Trung, Deputy Director of the Department of Foreign Affairs under the Ministry of Public Security, co-chaired the workshop.
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Federica Dispenza, Assistant Resident Representative, Head of Governance and Participation, UNDP representative in Vietnam, at the event |
Internationally, the workshop was attended by Federica Dispenza, Assistant Resident Representative, Head of Governance and Participation, UNDP representative in Vietnam; international experts from the United Nations and several countries that have ratified the ICPPED.
In his opening remarks, Sr. Col. Tran Viet Trung stated that the workshop was an opportunity to comprehensively introduce the content of the ICPPED, with support and experience sharing from international experts. Through discussions at the workshop, experts would exchange knowledge and updates on the implementation of the convention in other countries. For Vietnam, he noted, studying the possibility of acceding to the ICPPED carries significant political, diplomatic, legal, and social implications. This process demonstrates Vietnam’s goodwill in cooperation, its openness and constructive attitude, and its efforts to seriously fulfill international commitments, including those under the Universal Periodic Review (UPR). It also reflects the country’s determination to further promote and better ensure human rights, thereby enhancing its credibility and standing in the international arena.
From the UNDP side, Federica Dispenza, Assistant Resident Representative, Head of Governance and Participation, UNDP representative in Vietnam, stated that the workshop represented a positive and constructive step in Vietnam's ongoing engagement with the international human rights system. She added that in recent years, Vietnam has shown increasing openness to dialogue, cooperation, and shared learning. By ratifying 7 out of 9 core human rights conventions, the Vietnamese Government has gained significant experience in aligning domestic legal frameworks and policies with global commitments.
The organization of the workshop was “both timely and forward-looking,” Federica Dispenza remarked, reflecting a genuine interest in understanding the Convention's content and learning from the diverse approaches other countries have adopted.
The UNDP representative also noted that this approach aligns closely with Vietnam's recent voluntary commitments as a member of the United Nations Human Rights Council, particularly the commitment to enhance dialogue and cooperation on human rights with all countries and international partners, as well as the commitment to promote dialogue, cooperation, and mutual understanding among nations and stakeholders, based on respect for independence, sovereignty, equality, and mutual benefit.
Gabriella Citroni, Chair of the U.N. Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances, affirmed the significance of the workshop, noting that the ICPPED is a complex convention that requires substantial adjustments to domestic legal systems. She commended Vietnam for its open and serious attitude toward international obligations, its implementation of those obligations, and its transparent approach in studying a convention that is widely regarded as technically demanding.
At the workshop, Senior Colonel Nguyen Thuan, Deputy Director of the Quang Ninh Provincial Police, highlighted practical efforts undertaken by the local police to enhance the protection of human rights. These measures include accelerating administrative reform, applying information technology to deliver online public services, strengthening dialogue and citizen reception, ensuring the rights of detainees and prisoners, and placing strong emphasis on training and capacity-building for officers in legal knowledge, public service ethics, and standards of conduct in the performance of duties.
At the workshop, delegates provided comprehensive and objective information about the content, purpose, significance, and obligations stipulated by the Convention, while exchanging and referencing international experiences, thereby supporting Vietnam in the process of researching and considering the possibility of joining the Convention in conditions suitable to Vietnam's current realities.
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Delegates in a joint photo |
On this occasion, the Vietnamese side expressed sincere appreciation for UNDP’s support, recognizing the organization’s role as an important bridge in strengthening capacity and promoting the dissemination of international human rights standards in Vietnam.
The ICPPED is regarded as one of the most significant international conventions, with strong legal value in preventing enforced disappearance and protecting all persons from this serious human rights violation. It defines State responsibilities and establishes an international monitoring mechanism (the Committee on Enforced Disappearances), while affirming unequivocally that no exceptional circumstances may be invoked to justify enforced disappearance. The Convention also provides an important framework to support modern investigative standards, enhance institutional professionalism, and strengthen public trust in judicial and security bodies.
Translated by Chung Anh