The UN in Viet Nam celebrates the diversity, freedom and rights of all LGBTIQ+ persons at Hanoi Pride 2022

Ha Noi (Viet Nam), 19 September 2022 – The United Nations (UN) in Viet Nam celebrates the diversity, freedom and rights of all LGBTIQ+ persons at Hanoi Pride 2022. We stand in solidarity with the LGBTIQ+ community in Viet Nam, and express support for local community-based organisations working to change social norms and promote more inclusive societies that respect and promote the rights of LGBTIQ+ persons.

We welcome the recent progress in Viet Nam in protecting the rights of LGBTIQ+ persons. The Official Dispatch No. 4132/BYT-PC dated 3rd August 2022, issued by the Ministry of Health, emphasised that diverse sexual orientation, gender identity and expression are not medical conditions, and called for reform of medical examination and treatment of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons, in line with global health standards. We commend this tremendous achievement and major step forward in boosting the protection of LGBTIQ+ persons’ fundamental rights and health in Viet Nam.

Despite the positive change, LGBTIQ+ persons and communities in Viet Nam face discrimination and deprivation of their fundamental rights based on their sexual orientation or gender identity. In their day-to-day lives, people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, or gender non-conforming face obstacles in accessing education, healthcare services and employment opportunities, and are subject to violence and harassment in the most basic of daily activities, leaving them in pain and fear.

Efforts to shift the attitudes, mindset and social perceptions concerning LGBTIQ+ persons must therefore continue. To do so requires greater collective action to promote and protect LGBTIQ+ rights in line with the international human rights standards and treaties that Viet Nam has ratified, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, and Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women. All sectors of society – Government, civil society, private sector and the international community – have the responsibility to stand up for LGBTIQ+ rights and affirm the principles enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which states that all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights [1].

Hanoi Pride 2022 is an opportunity to unite with the LGBTIQ+ community in Viet Nam, embrace the differences in every individual, and remind LGBTIQ+ persons of our commitment to support them amid the ongoing challenges and struggle against injustice and intolerance. The UN is committed to continuing to support Viet Nam in building a tolerant, accepting and inclusive society where every person can be proud of who they are.

[1] Article 1, Universal Declaration of Human Rights.