Introduction
ISSUE Viet Nam is one of the fastest developing countries in the world, achieving annual economic growth of 7-9 per cent over the last 15 years. While the economic boom has helped more than halve poverty rates, it has also widened the gap between rich and poor, and many risk being left behind. Viet Nam’s social and economic changes are not benefiting all children equally, especially ethnic minority children who have fallen behind in areas such as infant and under-5 mortality, and school enrolment and completion rates. Many of these children live in families that are below the poverty line. In all these areas, the Government has or is developing policies and programmes. But many are not yet designed to meet the specific needs of children, or to deliver the best possible results for all girls and boys. Although Viet Nam was the first country in Asia and the second country in the world to ratify the Convention on the Rights of the Child, its parliamentarians and legislators often lack the knowledge and skills to address issues relating to the rights of children. National efforts to strengthen Parliament rarely focus specifically on children, despite the fact that children are crucial to Viet Nam’s development. Making sure that Viet Nam’s progress benefits all children presents a serious challenge to the Government and its development partners. This challenge requires strengthening the Government’s policies and programmes so they get the most for their money while delivering the best possible results for children. It means working with Viet Nam’s Parliament so parliamentarians become true champions for children and build a legal framework that fully reflects children’s rights. And it demands that everything the Government does for children is based on sound data and information so their actions reflect and respond to the realities on the ground. These three pillars of policies, laws and data provide the essential framework for child-focused development. UNICEF’s RESPONSE UNICEF is supporting the Government in five key areas to help it most effectively deliver on its responsibilities to Viet Nam’s children. These are: The family: Families are at the heart of childhood. Economic pressures and cultural change are threatening traditional family structures in Viet Nam. Divorce rates are increasing. Fewer children grow up with the support of their grandparents as families from rural areas migrate to seek opportunities in the cities. Ethnic minorities: Viet Nam’s ethnic minority children are generally the most disadvantaged and least well-educated, suffering the poorest health and the highest mortality and school drop-out rates. UNICEF works with the Government to ensure that policies and budgets for ethnic minority areas are adequately focused on children, through research and policy guidance. UNICEF also helps Viet Nam draw on international experience of similar problems in other countries. Child poverty: Viet Nam’s Government has committed $2 billion over the next five years in its two highest profile poverty reduction programmes. UNICEF works to ensure that this money is genuinely effective in addressing child poverty through promoting a practical understanding of child poverty in Viet Nam that is incorporated into poverty reduction programmes and results in the allocation of serious resources for the most disadvantaged children. Lawmakers: Viet Nam is reviewing and strengthening its legal system and Parliament. UNICEF works with Vietnamese MPs to provide them with knowledge and international experience on legislation and understanding on children’s rights. Through this partnership with parliamentarians and other elected officials, UNICEF is supporting a proper legal environment to provide children with the opportunities and protection they need in today’s Viet Nam. Data and knowledge: The Government can not realise the rights of its children without a solid foundation of data and knowledge. UNICEF supports the Government to improve the availability, quality and use of data on children and women, including providing software and technological solutions to monitor their situation. PARTNERSHIPS In the area of Planning and Social Policy, UNICEF works closely with various international agencies (NGOs, UN agencies) and national counterparts (including the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, the Committee for Ethnic Minorities, the National Assembly, the General Statistics Office and the Ministry of Planning and Investment).
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