Vietnamese National Assembly deputies and representatives from Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) member parliaments discussed with experts what they can do to strengthen the prevention and control of HIV/AIDS at a workshop in Hanoi on November 30.

The event was co-organised by the Vietnam National Assembly (NA), the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) with the aim of enhancing parliamentarians’ awareness about HIV/AIDS and their capacity in building laws as well as in monitoring law enforcement in the field.

In opening the workshop, NA Vice Chairwoman Tong Thi Phong stressed that Vietnam has constantly updated and completed a system of policies and legal frameworks on HIV/AIDS preventions and control, which gradually met the requirements of reality and the international legal standards in this fields.

Under the National Strategy on AIDS prevention and control in 2010 with a vision to 2020, Vietnam has reduced the numbers of new HIV infections, AIDS patients and fatalities, and kept the HIV infection rate at 0.26 percent, the lowest in the Southeast Asian region.

UNAIDS country director in Vietnam Kristan Schoultz hailed Vietnam’s commitment to the 90–90–90 goals as the first country in Asia to undertake maximum efforts to respond to the UNAIDS’ call.

The UNAIDS pledged to work closely with Vietnam to find sustainable solutions to prevent and drive back and eradicate the HIV/AIDS pandemic by 2030.

The 90–90–90 targets mean 90 percent of people living with HIV will know about their HIV status; 90 percent of people who know their status will be on HIV treatment; and 90 percent of all people on treatment will have undetectable levels of HIV in their body (known as viral suppression).-VNA