Draft IPU resolution adopted on national sovereignty, non-intervention in internal affairs, human rights

The Standing Committee on Democracy and Human Rights of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) adopted a resolution Monday on "international law as it relates to national sovereignty, non-intervention in the internal affairs of states and human rights."

The resolution was adopted during the ongoing 132nd Assembly of the IPU in Vietnam's capital of Hanoi with 38 "yes," three "no" and 10 abstentions.

According to Le Minh Thong, deputy head of the Vietnamese National Assembly's Committee on Legal Affairs, the resolution was drafted since the last IPU meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, in 2014 but failed to reach consensus among participants.

The resolution, with regard to international law and UN Charter among others, reaffirms that the sovereign equality of states is the basis for international cooperation and an essential factor of stability.

International law defines the legal responsibilities of states in the conduct of their international relations and establishes the obligations of each state toward all individuals within its territory and subject to its jurisdiction, the resolution said.

It emphasizes the responsibilities of all states, in conformity with the UN Charter, to respect human rights and fundamental freedoms for all, without distinction of any kind on the basis of race, ethnicity, color, sex, language or religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status.

The draft resolution will be submitted to the IPU Assembly for ratification, Thong said.

The IPU meetings are being held in Hanoi from Saturday to Wednesday. Endi