Vietnam has called for speeding up the integration of the rights of children and women in policies and programmes of not only member countries but also the UN as a whole.

The Vietnamese delegation made the call at discussions on the rights of children and women hosted by the UN Social, Humanitarian and Cultural Affairs Committee (Third Committee) in New York from October 10-14.

The UN’s relevant agencies and organisations should strengthen cooperation in protecting child rights as around 8.1 million children under five and over 350,000 newborns die per year while millions of children cannot go to school and are victims of armed conflicts, human trafficking and violence, it said.

On the occasion, Vietnam introduced its measures and achievements in caring and protecting children through the implementation of the Law on Child Protection, Care and Education and the 2011-2015 National Programme on Child Protection.

Participants at the discussion said that current child right protection and supervision mechanisms are yet to effectively address challenges to the implementation of the rights of girls, disabled, isolated and poor children.

At the committee’s discussion on promotion of women’s rights, while acknowledging achievements made by the UN and its member countries, the Vietnamese delegation called for more investment for women to strengthen their position and participation in social affairs, and the inclusion of the gender issue in national programmes.

Vietnam shared its experience and achievements in ensuring women’s rights, including the building of legal frameworks and mechanisms that facilitate the equal participation of women in all aspects of life.

At the discussion, the participants emphasised the role of women as “a factor of change” for sustainable development and international security.

They spoke highly of progresses in empowering women, the integration of women’s issues in national and international agendas and the establishment of the UN Women Agency.

However, they raised concern about the fact that women are still facing discriminations and are victims of violence and human trafficking./.