>>Vietnam attends 100th ILO General Assembly session

Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan, made this statement at the 100^th session of International Labour Organisation (ILO) General Assembly in Geneva on June 14. 

Minister Ngan said Vietnam is taking many measures to achieve targets for employment and social welfare which are mentioned in the country’s socio-economic development strategy for the 2011-2015 period, aimed at effectively managing labour markets and strengthening capacity and dialogue with partners to ensure more job opportunities with better quality outcomes, minimum social welfare conditions and access to international labour standards. 

The Government has made every effort to raise labour management capacity, develop a labour market forecast system, employment services and a labour inspection system, and to provide vocational training for rural workers and employment for young people, women, the disabled and locals in poor areas and ethnic minority regions, she said. 

Minister Ngan added that the Government has recently promulgated Resolution 80 on sustainable poverty reduction for the 2011-2020 period, while drawing up plans to apply the United Nations Social Protection Floor Initiative (SPF-I). 
At present, the Vietnamese Government is actively engaged in curbing inflation and stabilising the macro economy, ensuring social welfare for the people, including financial support for low-income earners and poor households, and encouraging self-employment and employment in the unofficial economic sector, she said. 

Minister Ngan spoke highly of ILO efforts in adopting a new legal tool to protect housemaids and proposals to further expand coverage of social insurance under the SPF-I. 

She also thanked ILO member countries for electing Vietnam as an official member of the ILO governing body for the 2011-2014 period and said Vietnam will do its utmost to successfully undertake this role.