Participants at the meeting. (Photo: VNA) Quang Ninh (VNA) – The 19th ASEAN Senior Officials Meeting on Social Welfare and Development (SOMSWD) was held in Ha Long city in the northeastern province of Quang Ninh on November 15, with the participation of representatives from relevant agencies of ASEAN countries, the ASEAN Secretariat and Vietnam’s ministries and agencies.
Vietnam’s Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MoLISA) chaired the meeting that was held in-person for the first time after four years held online due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Speaking at the event, Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Nguyen Van Hoi shared Vietnam’s outstanding social welfare achievements, including growing coverage of social insurance and unemployment insurance, more beneficiaries of social sponsor policies, and increased benefits in basic social services such as healthcare, education, water and information access.
Hoi called on participants at the meeting to review performance, develop plans for next year, and suggest practical initiatives for the benefit of each country and for the harmonised development of the ASEAN community which centres on people.
As ASEAN's commitments to social welfare and development are becoming more and more extensive, in the face of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, ASEAN member countries give many priorities to social security, social affairs, and post-pandemic recovery.
Vietnam chose the theme "Responsive Social Protection in the Changing World" for the meeting to contribute to the implementation of the ASEAN Community Vision 2025, the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community Master Plan 2025, and "No one is left behind”.
Participants at the meeting recommended initiatives and proposals on strengthening the role of SOMSWD to make it an important specialised agency of ASEAN with practical cooperation activities in social protection.
They also agreed on the need to promote close partnerships between ASEAN and three countries of China, Japan, and the Republic of Korea, and other international and regional partners to optimise their technical and financial support for social welfare in the coming time./.
