Protecting human rights so that “no one is left behind”

As the fourth wave of the pandemic hit the country, this motto has continued to be followed consistently. This is a prudent direction because in any situation, we still need to ensure the right to life and development of people and society.

In 2020, facing the risks of the COVID-19 pandemic, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc - now President, on behalf of the Party, State and Government of Vietnam affirmed the motto "leaving no one behind".

Since then, this motto has always been implemented, reflected in the guidelines and policies of the Party, State, and Government as well as the actions of the entire political system, socio-economic organisations and the entire people.

Even in the context of the country's transition and the consolidation of the leadership apparatus, these guidelines and motto are continuously consistent and the number one priority. Any change is just a strategic adjustment to match the actual situation and developments of the pandemic.

Given the human nature of the social regime, the guarantee of human rights must firstly prioritise the protection of health and safety, and no matter how difficult it is, it is imperative to not let people suffer from hunger.

Many leaders of the Party, State, and Government were directly present at “hot spots” to inspect and observe pandemic prevention and control activities in order to ensure social security.

As the fourth wave of the pandemic occurred, the Prime Minister went to “epidemic centres” such as Bac Giang, Bac Ninh, Dong Nai, Tay Ninh, Long An, Binh Duong, Ho Chi Minh City and others. At the same time, the PM has also issued many documents on pandemic prevention and control, including Resolution No. 68/NQ-CP dated July 1 2021 on several policies to support employees and employers facing difficulties due to the pandemic, helping them quickly access the support package of VND26 trillion (US$1.13 billion), Resolution No. 53/NQ-CP dated May 26, 2021 on the establishment of a COVID-19 vaccine fund and Resolution No. 78/NQ-CP dated July 20, 2021 on thematic Government meetings on the prevention and control of the pandemic.

Although vaccines against COVID-19 are very scarce globally, Vietnam has so far received more than 14 million doses of vaccines from various sources, including pre-ordered contracts, bilateral aid between Vietnam and a number of countries, and the COVAX Mechanism (COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access).

That is the result of the Government's proactive and flexible efforts, creating the foundation for the National vaccination campaign to be implemented from July 2021 with 18,000 vaccination points nationwide, including mobile sites.

Funding for the largest ever vaccination campaign in Vietnam is guaranteed by the State budget, the COVID-19 vaccine fund, and other aid sources. It is also the basis for millions of Vietnamese people to be vaccinated against COVID-19 in order to achieve community immunity, ensuring health and strengthening everyone's resistance to the pandemic.

The Party, State and Government of Vietnam have always determined that human rights are an imperative like President Ho Chi Minh said: "The policy of the Party and the Government is to take great care of the people's lives. If the people are hungry, it is the fault of the Party and Government; if the people are cold, it is the Party and Government's fault; if the people are ignorant, it is the fault of the Party and Government; and if the people are sick, it is the Party and the Government's fault”.

The Party, State and Government raised their sense of responsibility through timely measures to help the country overcome three waves of the COVID-19 pandemic and now the current fourth wave of the pandemic.

As people's health and lives are determined the top priority, the highest level of attention has been paid to pandemic hotspots including the organisation of vaccination, the treatment of COVID-19 patients, tracing, zoning, the construction of quarantine areas and field hospitals, and others.

In particular, Government Resolution No. 68/NQ-CP with its focus on vulnerable and disadvantaged groups has shown its humanity under the motto “no one is left behind”.

This is a very necessary support solution at the present time, creating conditions for employees and employers to strengthen their ability to withstand and overcome the negative effects of the pandemic and continue their business.

The authorities are also making efforts to coordinate food distribution, foodstuffs, and essential goods to ensure the stability of people's daily lives in isolated areas. In addition, a number of local authorities are also urgently extracting their citizens from epidemic areas.

In order to achieve the goal of economic growth, the Party, State and Government have also made great efforts to stabilise and continue production and business activities.

As a result, according to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, industrial production maintained a good growth rate in the first six months of this year as industry and construction increased by 8.91% over the same period last year and manufacturing industry soared by 11.42%. Generally, in the first half of 2021, the index of industrial production was estimated to have increased by 9.3% over the same period last year.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the whole country planted about 5.23 million ha of rice in the first half of this year with an estimated output of 21.58 million tonnes of rice, meeting the needs of domestic consumption as well as animal feed and export. Total agricultural export turnover reached US$24.23 billion in the first six months of the year, up 28.2% over the same period in 2020.

Anticipating difficulties from the pandemic, the Government and local authorities took the initiative to build exchange channels and come up with solutions to solve difficulties in the consumption and export of agricultural products. As a result, 200,000 tonnes of lychee from the pandemic hotspot of Bac Giang province were exported to many countries with a turnover of more than VND6.8 trillion (US$296.2 million).

The support of the government may not be as complete as each person's expectations, but this is a great effort from the Party, State and Government of Vietnam as the country is still facing many difficulties.

This is a manifestation of the human nature of the socialist regime with the aim of “leaving no one behind” and the realisation of the “dual goal” also necessary to ensuring human rights.

If epidemic prevention and control is to protect people's health and lives, economic growth is to ensure stability and to gradually raise people's living standards. This explains why the “dual goal” strategy is trusted and supported by the whole people.

As the COVID-19 pandemic may still cause many unforeseen difficulties, such attitudes and actions become even more necessary and need to be raised to new heights. Because, when every citizen believes, supports, and strives to accompany the Party, State and Government to achieve the set goals, that means each person has acted for their own human rights, and more broadly for the human rights of society as a whole.