Nguyen Thi Thanh, Vice Chairwoman of the National Assembly (NA), met with June Kunugi, the Regional Director for East Asia and the Pacific of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), as well as Sophie Kiladze, the Chair of the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC), in Ha Noi.
The gathering took place to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the collaboration between Viet Nam and UNICEF, as well as the 35th anniversary of Viet Nam joining the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Thanh expressed gratitude to UNICEF and the CRC for their continuous and impactful assistance to Viet Nam in safeguarding and caring for children.
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She emphasized that UNICEF has played a crucial role as one of Viet Nam's key allies in development, providing tangible help in childcare, education, and protection for numerous years.
Thanh also recognized UNICEF's strong collaboration in aligning with Viet Nam's child-focused initiatives and policies. The Vice Chairwoman expressed gratitude to UNICEF for their positive support during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as for their contributions to expanded immunization efforts and emergency aid in disaster-stricken areas.
She commended UNICEF for their close and productive partnership with the NA's specialized committees.
Thanh reiterated that child care, protection, and education are still key national focuses of Viet Nam.
By 2025, the NA has significantly raised funding for universal preschool education, provided tuition waivers for children in public schools, and offered assistance to those in non-public facilities, in addition to investing in 248 semi-boarding schools in border and underprivileged areas. She affirmed that the government will persist in incorporating children's concerns into legislation and financial planning.
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Kunugi expressed her sympathies for the losses experienced by Viet Nam due to recent natural disasters and highlighted UNICEF's consistent assistance with emergency and recovery efforts in the country since 1975. She commended Viet Nam's dedication to healthcare, nutrition, water, sanitation, and child protection, and expressed optimism for the successful execution of the 2024 Law on Justice for Minors.
In the midst of worldwide issues like economic instability, climate change, migration, and aging populations, she praised Viet Nam for prioritizing children in their development policies. She also commended the Vietnamese Government for approving the Action Plan to carry out CRC suggestions.
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Also, Kiladze mentioned that the CRC is working on a collaborative statement to enhance the significance of parliaments in enforcing and overseeing children’s rights, and emphasized the importance of exchanging experiences among national legislative bodies. She praised Viet Nam’s dedication to funding children’s issues and assured that the CRC is prepared to collaborate and assist Viet Nam in promoting child rights agendas.
In the future, the Vice Chairwoman of NA and leader of UNICEF stated their desire to enhance coordination, raise resources, and increase technical assistance to assist Viet Nam in reaching its sustainable development objectives, specifically in child protection and care. This would involve prioritizing disadvantaged children, those in remote and ethnic minority regions, as well as education and human resource development initiatives for the country's socio-economic advancement.