Vietnam's efforts to promote children's rights hailed by UN committee

ABO/NDO- The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) has appreciated the dialogue and measures taken by Vietnam in the protection and promotion of children’s rights.

Deputy Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Nguyen Thi Ha led the Vietnamese delegation to engage in a dialogue with CRC members on Vietnam’s implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child on September 12-13 in Geneva, Switzerland.

The dialogue was held within the framework of the CRC’s 91st session, and on the basis of Vietnam’s submission of its fifth and sixth periodic country reports and a report answering the committee’s related questions.

In an interview to VNA reporters in Geneva, Ha said that during the 91st session, CRC highly valued Vietnam’s thorough preparations for these reports and welcomed its achievements in the building of laws and policies as well as the measures taken by it related to children’s rights.

After this session, Vietnam will have from four to five years to carry out the committee’s recommendations, she said, adding that her ministry will work with relevant ministries and sectors to analyse the recommendations and build an action programme to submit to the Prime Minister for approval.

Overview of the dialogue (Photo: thanhnien.vn).

Dang Hoa Nam, Director of the Department of Child Protection and Care, said that the CRC appreciated Vietnam's progress in building and amending laws, especially the 2016 Children Law, the government's efforts to combine economic development with social and sustainable development. The CRC also showed interest in newly emerging issues related to children's rights in the context of new changes like climate change or global economic depression.

The official stressed that Vietnam’s active participation in the committee’s dialogue mechanism and its implementation of recommendations are of significance for the implementation of children’s rights in Vietnam, which he said demonstrates that Vietnam is an active and responsible member in the enforcement of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. During the process, Vietnam is able to share with CRC members and other countries its experience and learn form international experience to better perform in the field.

On November 20, 1989, the UN General Assembly adopted the International Convention on the Rights of the Child. Vietnam is one of the first countries in the world to sign and ratify this convention (the country signed the convention on January 26, 1990 and ratified on February 28, 1990).

(Source: NDO)