Hanoi (VNA) – Deputy Prime Mini♒ster Vu Duc Dam has called for stronger commitments by every sector at all levels and༺ the entire society to the child protection, care and education despite substantial progress over the past 25 years.

The Government leader made the call at a ceremony in Hanoi on December 20 marking 25 years of Vietnam’s ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Pham Thi Hai Chuyen said Vietnam ratified the UNCRC on February 20, 1990, becoming the first in Asia and the second in the world to approve the convention fully. The Vietnamese Party and State have continually paid attention to ensuring children’s rights in laws, policies and reality. The Law on Child Protection, Care and Education, approved by the National Assembly in 1991 and amended in 2004 and 2015, along with the revision to other related codes and laws has aligned the domestic law system with the UNCRC. During the economic development over the past two and a half decades, substantial progress in the child care and protection has been reaped, Chuyen said. The country has worked hard to build a safe and healthy living environment for all children and to promote the implementation of children’s right to participation, she said, adding that it has also carried out three national action programmes targeting children during the 1991 – 2000, 2001 – 2010 and 2011 – 2020 periods. As a result, 90 percent of Vietnamese children have been vaccinated against six dangerous diseases under the universal immunisation programme. The under-5 mortality and malnutrition rates were cut down considerably while a majority of children of school age have attended school, she noted. The minister also underlined an array of new challenges to implementing children’s rights amid Vietnam’s intensive integration into the global economy, particularly in child protection and promoting their right to participation. The child protection should be performed on the basis of developing the related law system and child protection services, she noted. National-level programmes and plans should be oriented towards creating a safe, healthy and friendly living environment that helps children grows comprehensively and nurtures a young generation that will meet the nation’s demands during integration and development, she added. The UNICEF Representative in the country, Youssouf Abdel-Jelil, said the Vietnamese Government’s strong political pledges and leadership in the implementation of children’s rights have helped improve the life of millions of children. The international community has highly valued the firm strides that Vietnam has made with regard to poverty reduction, school enrollment, and maternal and child mortality, he noted. He added its senior leaders’ commitments relating to the Sustainable Development Goals will continue enhancing the people-centred development with no child left behind.-VNA