Vice Chairwoman of the National Assembly (NA) Tong Thi Phong underlined the country’s implementation of policies to ensure the rights and interests of Vietnamese children at a reception for a United Nations Children's Fund ( UNICEF ) official in Hanoi on November 25.

Talking to UNICEF Chief Representative in Vietnam Lotta Sylwander, Phong highly appreciated the cooperation between the NA and UNICEF in realising poverty reduction and social security policies, especially child protection and education programmes.

Through its technical assistance, UNICEF serves as a bridge to help Vietnam access knowledge, experience and international resources, she added.

The country has effectively implemented free medical examination programmes and measures to reduce mortality and malnutrition rates in children while collaborating with UNICEF to raise its communications capacity, lawmaking and investment policies for children, she said.

Phong suggested the organisation continues to aid Vietnam in carrying out cooperation projects between the two sides until 2016, aiming to bring into play its achievements in the process of realising the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

For her part, Lotta Sylwander highlighted Vietnam’s efforts and decisions to address child-related issues, affirming the NA’s important role in making policies on children.

She also expressed her belief that the NA will continue to promulgate and implement effective policies for children as well as deploy supervision mechanisms to raise the effectiveness of policies related to children.-VNA