Disabled people of all ages living in Vietnam will enjoy better access to health and education, employment and protection services by 2015 as a result of a high-profile initiative launched recently by the United Nations (UN) in partnership with disabled people’s organisations and the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs. The Vietnam Business Forum reports.
According to statistics, people living with disabilities, up to 15.3 percent of Vietnam’s 90 million population, are some of the most vulnerable members of society and often face discrimination on a daily basis, with limited access to basic health care, education and other public services.
With low levels of education and training, few people living with disabilities have stable jobs or regular incomes. The vast majority of people living with disabilities, up to 80 percent, depend on their families, relatives and social allowances to survive.
While Vietnam was one of the first signatories to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and is actively considering ratification of the Convention, the country still lacks adequate mechanisms to fully respond to protecting and allowing people with disabilities to claim their rights.
With financial support from the UN Partnership to Promote the Rights of People with Disabilities Fund, the UN’s 350,000 USD initiative will help disabled people’s organisations (DPOs) actively engage with the Government in the effective implementation of the Convention. The project will also help address disability issues more effectively in different UN programmes and projects in Vietnam.
The ILO-UNDP-UNICEF joint initiative will include people with disabilities in all decision-making steps through strengthening the capacities and role of DPOs in the advocacy, development, implementation and monitoring of legal frameworks and policies.
UN Resident Coordinator in Vietnam Pratibha Mehta praised disability organisations for their timely and important work in advocating for the rights of people with disabilities to be fully recognised in Vietnam. She called on the Government and other partners to respond to the rights and needs of people with disabilities.
“Vietnam was one of the first signatories of the Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities, and although there is still work to be done, we believe that the time is now right to ratify,” she said.
The three UN agencies will implement the project in partnership with the Vietnam Federation on Disability, the Action Community Development Centre, the Disability Resources and Development, the Hanoi Association of Persons with Disability and the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs.
The UN Joint Programme on People with Disabilities in Vietnam is based on the expertise and involvement of UNDP in support of ratifying conventions, human rights-based methods and access to justice; the expertise and experience of UNICEF in children's rights and children with disabilities as well as the expertise and experience of ILO in policy issues and programmes related to labour and employment.
The UN, its member countries, and organisations of people with disabilities have created a tool called the UN Partnership to Promote the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNPRPD), aimed to support the implementation of conventions on the rights of people with disabilities.-VNA
According to statistics, people living with disabilities, up to 15.3 percent of Vietnam’s 90 million population, are some of the most vulnerable members of society and often face discrimination on a daily basis, with limited access to basic health care, education and other public services.
With low levels of education and training, few people living with disabilities have stable jobs or regular incomes. The vast majority of people living with disabilities, up to 80 percent, depend on their families, relatives and social allowances to survive.
While Vietnam was one of the first signatories to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and is actively considering ratification of the Convention, the country still lacks adequate mechanisms to fully respond to protecting and allowing people with disabilities to claim their rights.
With financial support from the UN Partnership to Promote the Rights of People with Disabilities Fund, the UN’s 350,000 USD initiative will help disabled people’s organisations (DPOs) actively engage with the Government in the effective implementation of the Convention. The project will also help address disability issues more effectively in different UN programmes and projects in Vietnam.
The ILO-UNDP-UNICEF joint initiative will include people with disabilities in all decision-making steps through strengthening the capacities and role of DPOs in the advocacy, development, implementation and monitoring of legal frameworks and policies.
UN Resident Coordinator in Vietnam Pratibha Mehta praised disability organisations for their timely and important work in advocating for the rights of people with disabilities to be fully recognised in Vietnam. She called on the Government and other partners to respond to the rights and needs of people with disabilities.
“Vietnam was one of the first signatories of the Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities, and although there is still work to be done, we believe that the time is now right to ratify,” she said.
The three UN agencies will implement the project in partnership with the Vietnam Federation on Disability, the Action Community Development Centre, the Disability Resources and Development, the Hanoi Association of Persons with Disability and the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs.
The UN Joint Programme on People with Disabilities in Vietnam is based on the expertise and involvement of UNDP in support of ratifying conventions, human rights-based methods and access to justice; the expertise and experience of UNICEF in children's rights and children with disabilities as well as the expertise and experience of ILO in policy issues and programmes related to labour and employment.
The UN, its member countries, and organisations of people with disabilities have created a tool called the UN Partnership to Promote the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNPRPD), aimed to support the implementation of conventions on the rights of people with disabilities.-VNA
