The sixth ASEAN Ministerial Meeting for Social Welfare and Development opened in Hanoi on December 6 in the presence of Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Gia Khiem as a honourary guest.
In his opening speech, Mr Khiem highlighted ASEAN’s role in promoting peace, stability, prosperity and cooperation among member countries, as well as raising ASEAN’s position in the international arena.
The ASEAN Summit has agreed on raising cooperation and linkage to a new height to form the ASEAN Community by 2015 based on the three pillars: Economic Community, Political-Security Community and Socio-Cultural Community with the aim of transforming ASEAN into a “Harmonised group of people with solidarity in a community of caring societies”.
In addition, ASEAN is actively building the ASEAN Charter to serve as a legal framework for development and promotion of the linkage among ASEAN member countries in the new stage.
While promoting economic cooperation, ASEAN also gives due attention to solving social welfare and development issues by using economic achievements to overcome social challenges to disadvantaged groups and giving them full access to social activities through various kinds of support so that they can be gradually self-reliant to and contribute to society.
The sixth meeting aims to review the achievements in social welfare and development from the fifth meeting held in Bangkok, Thailand in 2004, and discuss how to accelerate the implementation of the Vientiane Action Plan to help people with disabilities and disadvantaged groups integrate into the community. The meeting also aims to devise solutions for boosting comprehensive cooperation in ASEAN in the near future towards building a strong ASEAN community.”
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Vietnamese disabilities account for nearly 7 percent of the population with a large number of children being unable to work due to Orange Agent suffering. |
On behalf of the Vietnamese delegation, Deputy Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Dam Huu Dac spoke of the need for people with disabilities to join in the process of national development.
In the speech, Vice Minister Dam Huu Dac said Vietnam is trying to develop an equitable legal framework and favourable social environment for persons with disabilities through national targeted programmes and separate action plans to support them. The 1998 Ordinance on Disabled Persons affirmed that the State encourages and creates favourable conditions for people with disabilities to exercise their rights in political, economic, cultural and social aspects and develop their potential to settle their life, integrate into the local community and participate in social activities.
In 2006, the government issued a programme in support of disabled persons in the 2006-2010 period. To ensure the rights of persons with disabilities in accordance with international law, Vietnam signed the International Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities on November 23, 2007.
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In Vietnam, there are 105 special schools, 2,500 mainstream schools with inclusive schools for children with disabilities, The number of enterprises and workshops of persons with disabilities has doubled from 177 centres with 7,800 workers with disabilities in 1995 to 400 centres with more than 15,000 people, In 2007, 30 percent of people receiving social allowances are persons with disabilities, accounting for nearly 1 percent of the population, There are over 300 social protection centres, nursing 27,000 social policy beneficiaries, among whom the persons with disabilities make up approximately 10,000. |
However, Vietnam is facing some difficulties in assisting persons with disabilities and raising their awareness about the plight of disabled people, limited aid and lack of skilled staff in the field.
Vice Minister Dac affirmed: “For the prosperity of ASEAN member countries in general and Vietnam in particular, we will continue to improve the legal framework and social environment so that the disabled can have a better access to the achievements of economic growth, health care and social welfare.”
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