Minister of Justice Dr. Ha Hung Cuong; UN Resident Coordinator Dr. Pratibha Mehta; Deputy Minister of Justice Dr. Hoang The Lien and UNDP Country Director in Viet Nam Ms. Louise Chamberlain co-chaired the forum as part of the UNDP-supported project “Strengthening Access to Justice and Protection of Rights in Viet Nam”. Valuable input was also contributed by National Assembly (NA) Standing Committee Member and NA Judicial Committee Chairman Mr. Nguyen Van Hien, NA Law Committee Deputy Chairman Mr. Le Minh Thong, Central Steering Committee for Judicial Reform Member Mr. Nguyen Tat Vien along with ambassadors, representatives of diplomatic missions and international organizations in Viet Nam.
Civil rights and human rights took centre stage at the forum with the MoJ updating participants on the Government’s planned implementation of Constitution 2013 reforms, before the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment spotlighted major land policy changes as part of the newly revised Land Law 2013 designed to ensure fairness between land users and a Central Steering Committee for Judicial Reform representative summarized results of the eight-year implementation of the Judicial Reform Strategy and its Action Plan for 2014. In response, UN agencies and Vietnamese counterparts provided important feedback on Constitution 2013’s implementation in relation to international treaties to which Viet Nam is a signatory.
Speaking at the forum, Dr. Cuong said: “As the basic law of the country, the Constitution 2013 reflects the results of renovation of political thinkings, theoritical awareness and strengthening of leadership capacity of the Party and of the State of Viet Nam on the path to the future development of the country. At the same time, the new Constitution is considered as the embodiment of the reform process of the state apparatus and of the democratization of the legal - political life in the Vietnamese society.” Cuong said, with many new and important changes, in terms of substantive matters and drafting techniques, the Constitution 2013 has opened up a new space for the enforcement of the Constitution in Viet Nam to promote democracy, respect and ensure the protection of human and civil rights as well as strengthen judicial, administrative and socio-economic governance reforms.
Dr. Mehta said recent amendments to the 1992 Constitution and the Land Law would require governing institutions to adjust laws and regulations to ensure the principles of fairness, due process and the commitment to protect human rights embodied by these changes would be realized for all Vietnamese people.
“As Viet Nam becomes more integrated into the global economy, its justice system must provide more confidence to its citizens and international partners to act as a fair and neutral arbiter of personal, criminal and commercial disputes,” she said.
The Legal Partnership Forum was held within the framework of the cooperation project between Viet Nam and UNDP "Strengthening Access to Justice and Protection of Rights in Viet Nam". It brought together representatives from various agencies and organizations from the Party, NA, the Government, legal and judicial agencies of Viet Nam, representatives from the various provincial Departments of Justice, research institutes and universities.