The Australian Human Rights Commission will help Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics (HCMA) integrate lessons on human rights into the public school curricula, per a memorandum of understanding inked between both sides in Sydney on February 26.

At the MoU signing ceremony

Training for educational managers, developing the Vietnamese version of Rightsapp - the first mobile application that allows users to quickly access the United Nations’ human rights treaties and agreements, and building an interactive learning portal on human rights will be included in the programme.

At the signing ceremony, Prof. Dr. Nguyen Xuan Thang, Vice Chairman of the Vietnamese Party Central Committee’s Theoretical Council and HCMA Director, described this as an important event as it marks bilateral cooperation in promoting and protecting human rights through education, consolidating the friendship between Vietnam and Australia.

Thang affirmed that the Vietnamese Party and Government always pay attention to respecting, protecting and implementing human rights.

Particularly, the Constitution amended in 2013 reflects Vietnam’s respect for human rights and ensures better implementation of citizens’ fundamental rights and obligations.

Vietnam has joined bilateral and multilateral forums on human rights. In addition, it has signed and ratified seven of the nine core UN human rights treaties, and set up regular dialogue mechanisms on human rights with many countries, including Australia.

To raise public awareness of human rights through education, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc approved a project to integrate lessons on human rights into the public school curricula during 2017-2025. Under the programme, the HCMA is responsible for working with agencies to have human rights taught in all public education facilities by 2025, he added.

For her part, President of the Australian Human Rights Commission Rosalind Croucher said Australia attaches much importance to relations with Vietnam and her commission will work with the HCMA to carry out the project in an effective manner.

Thang is visiting Australia from February 25-27. Before working with the Australian Human Rights Commission, he visited the University of Sydney’s Law School and Centre for International Security Studies to study their human rights teaching.

He will continue his business trip to New Zealand on February 28.-VNA