Naomi Kitahara, UNFPA Representative in Vietnam. (Photo courtesy of UNFPA Vietnam) Hanoi (VNA) – The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) isextremely proud to have been associated with Vietnam’s spectacular achievementsin sexual and reproductive health, said Naomi Kitahara, UNFPA Representative inVietnam.
On the occasion of the 44th anniversary of Vietnam joining the United Nations(September 20), Kitahara granted an exclusive interviewed to the Vietnam NewsAgency on the cooperation between the UN organisation and Vietnamese partnersover the past four decades as well as future development prospect.
Following is the text of the interview.
As the UNFPA Representative for Vietnam, will you share with us yourevaluation of Vietnam, your partner, in cooperating and supporting UNFPA toachieve your mission in Vietnam?
I started my positionas UNFPA Representative for Vietnam in September 2019, when the UNFPA CountryOffice was in the midst of implementing its 9th Country Programme ofcollaboration with the Vietnamese Government. But my experience with Vietnamcan be traced back 20 years earlier, when I was covering the Vietnam desk atthe UNFPA Headquarter in New York.
In that position, I had a chance to visit Vietnamto provide technical support for the Country Office, and now having returned toVietnam, I have seen a lot of incredible changes in the country. Vietnam is nowa middle-income country with very high development potential that can be tappedinto, thanks to its very dynamic and hardworking people and the strong commitmentof the Government to uplift the country onto the higher level of socio-economicprogress.
UNFPA’s mission in Vietnam is to help the country achieve zero preventablematernal deaths, zero unmet need for family planning, and zero gender-based violenceand other harmful practices, within the context of 2030 SDGs agenda. We arehere to work closely with Government and key national stakeholders to improve people’saccess to quality sexual and reproductive health services, collect and analyse high-qualitypopulation data, address gender equality and gender-based violence, promoteyouth development, and provide social protection for elderly.
On the occasion of the 44th anniversary of Vietnam joining the United Nations(September 20), Kitahara granted an exclusive interviewed to the Vietnam NewsAgency on the cooperation between the UN organisation and Vietnamese partnersover the past four decades as well as future development prospect.
Following is the text of the interview.
As the UNFPA Representative for Vietnam, will you share with us yourevaluation of Vietnam, your partner, in cooperating and supporting UNFPA toachieve your mission in Vietnam?
I started my positionas UNFPA Representative for Vietnam in September 2019, when the UNFPA CountryOffice was in the midst of implementing its 9th Country Programme ofcollaboration with the Vietnamese Government. But my experience with Vietnamcan be traced back 20 years earlier, when I was covering the Vietnam desk atthe UNFPA Headquarter in New York.
In that position, I had a chance to visit Vietnamto provide technical support for the Country Office, and now having returned toVietnam, I have seen a lot of incredible changes in the country. Vietnam is nowa middle-income country with very high development potential that can be tappedinto, thanks to its very dynamic and hardworking people and the strong commitmentof the Government to uplift the country onto the higher level of socio-economicprogress.
UNFPA’s mission in Vietnam is to help the country achieve zero preventablematernal deaths, zero unmet need for family planning, and zero gender-based violenceand other harmful practices, within the context of 2030 SDGs agenda. We arehere to work closely with Government and key national stakeholders to improve people’saccess to quality sexual and reproductive health services, collect and analyse high-qualitypopulation data, address gender equality and gender-based violence, promoteyouth development, and provide social protection for elderly.
The range of ourpartners is wide, including ministries, mass and civil society organisations,national media, the private sector, and other development partners in andoutside the UN system.
We are very thankful to the excellent collaborationsthat we have enjoyed with all of our partners. And more recently, we have beensuccessful not only to consolidate exiting partnerships but also to explore newpartnerships, especially with private sector entities, to achieve common goalsfor vulnerable populations in Vietnam.
We are privileged to having such solidpartnerships and collaboration, without which the delivery of our countryprogramme would not have been as effective as we are seeing.
What arethe highlights in the UNFPA projects/ programmes in Vietnam recently?
Having operatedin Vietnam for more than 40 years, UNFPA is extremely proud to have beenassociated with Vietnam’s spectacular achievements in sexual and reproductivehealth. Maternal mortality has been reduced by 72 percent over the years, andVietnam was one of the very few countries in the world which have managed toensure this result. We are continuing with this effort, and introducingtelehealth as part of the country’s digital transformation process, so as toensure people’s access to quality sexual and reproductive health care.
Last year, together with the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MoLISA)and General Statistics Office (GSO), and with support from Australia’s Departmentof Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), we launched the 2019 national survey onviolence against women.
Vietnam is the only country in the world so far whichmanaged to conduct such a survey with internationally recognised and crediblemethodologies for the second time. This allowed for a trend analysis. Throughthe survey, evidence was provided that still 2 in 3 women in Vietnam experienceone or more forms of violence in their life time. In addition, more than 90percent of them never seek any support services, which means that gender-basedviolence is hidden in Vietnamese society. And violence against women is costingVietnam 1.81 percent of GDP, which is alarmingly high. The survey providedpointers for the country’s policy and decision-making, and we are now shiftingour gears towards interventions to eliminate violence against women. Togetherwith KOICA, the one stop service centre was established last year in Quang Ninhprovince for the first time in Vietnam, providing a comprehensive set ofservices based on victim-centered approach, and our hotline is receiving morethan 1,000 calls for help every month.
Lastly, UNFPA was a privileged partner to conduct the 2019 Population andHousing Census. Given a large population size, this was a challenging endeavorin Vietnam, but we helped with the introduction of advanced IT technology tospeed up data collection and minimise human errors, and within six monthsfollowing the Census date, a report was already launched, which is an amazingoutcome in the international literature of the Census. And Vietnam’s unique populationcharacteristics emerged from the Census data.
First, Vietnam is experiencing rapid demographic changewith nearly 70 percent of the population at working age (15-64), creating aspecial demographic window to accelerate significant socio-economic growth ifappropriate investment is made.
As such, we supported the Government’s effortto get the revised Youth Law approved, as part of promoting the participationof adolescents and youth in the country’s development process and ensuringcomprehensive sexuality education also using digital technology. At the sametime, the country is facing the challenges of fast population ageing due tofertility decline, and we have supported MoLISA to strengthen social protectionfor older people,while promoting the development of the private sector for care and services forthe elderly population.
Given the fact that Vietnam faced humanitarian challenges last year with floodsand landslides, in addition to COVID-19, UNFPA provided emergency support to Vietnamin the areas of ensuring care for pregnant women as well as for women at riskof domestic violence. UNFPA is leading the coordination effort of national andinternational partners in the areas of gender-based violence in humanitariansettings.
Naomi Kitahara, UNFPA Representative in Vietnam, holds a newborn baby during her working trip in northern Lai Chau province in May. (Photo courtesy of UNFPA Vietnam)
What will be yourrecommendations to Vietnam to further promote the efficiency of Vietnam-UNFPAcooperative relations in the coming years, especially in supporting Vietnam toachieve its 2030 sustainable development agenda?
Vietnam,together with countries around the world, is right on the Decade of Action forachieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Vietnam was quick indeveloping its National Plan of Action to implement the 2030 Agenda, showingunwavering commitments and is steadily moving forward.
As a middle incomecountry, it is critical to look at inequality and disparity issues, which havealso been accentuated by COVID-19. For instance, maternal mortality as anational average was reduced significantly as above, but maternal mortality inremote locations, especially among ethnic minorities, is still very high.Likewise, people with disability tend not to have full access to quality sexualand reproductive health care, and also they are often subjected to domesticviolence.
Women in Vietnam including elderly women are particularly susceptibleto violence, and inclusiveness is critical to ensure social assistance andsocial protection for the ageing populations. With COVID-19, domestic andinternational migrant workers are in particular hardships, and specialconsideration is required to support them, also through income-generation,professional counselling, life skills and comprehensive sexuality education.
As UNFPA, we provide advice to countries in the world in line with theprinciples of the International Conference on Population and Development. Ourmandate as given by the UN member states is to support the country’s effort toensure that individuals and couples are able to decide freely and responsiblythe number, spacing and timing of children.
In demographic analysis, it isclear that population aging occurs not just because mortality declined, andpeople live longer, but because fertility declined. Also, the sex ratio atbirth in Vietnam is the third highest in Asia, following China and India,mostly a result of prenatal sex selection, as fertility limitation and declineexist in the country, coupled with a practice of son preference and theavailability of reproductive technology. The ICPD principles are there topromote sexual and reproductive health and rights for all, regardless of age,ethnicity, or gender.
I am confident that the partnership between UNFPA and Vietnam over the fourdecades will continue to thrive. In any situations, UNFPA reaffirm ourcontinuing commitment to “delivering Vietnam where every pregnancy is wanted,every childbirth is safe and every young person's potential is fulfilled”, andmaking sure that “no one is left behind”./.
We are privileged to having such solidpartnerships and collaboration, without which the delivery of our countryprogramme would not have been as effective as we are seeing.
What arethe highlights in the UNFPA projects/ programmes in Vietnam recently?
Having operatedin Vietnam for more than 40 years, UNFPA is extremely proud to have beenassociated with Vietnam’s spectacular achievements in sexual and reproductivehealth. Maternal mortality has been reduced by 72 percent over the years, andVietnam was one of the very few countries in the world which have managed toensure this result. We are continuing with this effort, and introducingtelehealth as part of the country’s digital transformation process, so as toensure people’s access to quality sexual and reproductive health care.
Last year, together with the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MoLISA)and General Statistics Office (GSO), and with support from Australia’s Departmentof Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), we launched the 2019 national survey onviolence against women.
Vietnam is the only country in the world so far whichmanaged to conduct such a survey with internationally recognised and crediblemethodologies for the second time. This allowed for a trend analysis. Throughthe survey, evidence was provided that still 2 in 3 women in Vietnam experienceone or more forms of violence in their life time. In addition, more than 90percent of them never seek any support services, which means that gender-basedviolence is hidden in Vietnamese society. And violence against women is costingVietnam 1.81 percent of GDP, which is alarmingly high. The survey providedpointers for the country’s policy and decision-making, and we are now shiftingour gears towards interventions to eliminate violence against women. Togetherwith KOICA, the one stop service centre was established last year in Quang Ninhprovince for the first time in Vietnam, providing a comprehensive set ofservices based on victim-centered approach, and our hotline is receiving morethan 1,000 calls for help every month.
Lastly, UNFPA was a privileged partner to conduct the 2019 Population andHousing Census. Given a large population size, this was a challenging endeavorin Vietnam, but we helped with the introduction of advanced IT technology tospeed up data collection and minimise human errors, and within six monthsfollowing the Census date, a report was already launched, which is an amazingoutcome in the international literature of the Census. And Vietnam’s unique populationcharacteristics emerged from the Census data.
First, Vietnam is experiencing rapid demographic changewith nearly 70 percent of the population at working age (15-64), creating aspecial demographic window to accelerate significant socio-economic growth ifappropriate investment is made.
As such, we supported the Government’s effortto get the revised Youth Law approved, as part of promoting the participationof adolescents and youth in the country’s development process and ensuringcomprehensive sexuality education also using digital technology. At the sametime, the country is facing the challenges of fast population ageing due tofertility decline, and we have supported MoLISA to strengthen social protectionfor older people,while promoting the development of the private sector for care and services forthe elderly population.
Given the fact that Vietnam faced humanitarian challenges last year with floodsand landslides, in addition to COVID-19, UNFPA provided emergency support to Vietnamin the areas of ensuring care for pregnant women as well as for women at riskof domestic violence. UNFPA is leading the coordination effort of national andinternational partners in the areas of gender-based violence in humanitariansettings.
Naomi Kitahara, UNFPA Representative in Vietnam, holds a newborn baby during her working trip in northern Lai Chau province in May. (Photo courtesy of UNFPA Vietnam) What will be yourrecommendations to Vietnam to further promote the efficiency of Vietnam-UNFPAcooperative relations in the coming years, especially in supporting Vietnam toachieve its 2030 sustainable development agenda?
Vietnam,together with countries around the world, is right on the Decade of Action forachieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Vietnam was quick indeveloping its National Plan of Action to implement the 2030 Agenda, showingunwavering commitments and is steadily moving forward.
As a middle incomecountry, it is critical to look at inequality and disparity issues, which havealso been accentuated by COVID-19. For instance, maternal mortality as anational average was reduced significantly as above, but maternal mortality inremote locations, especially among ethnic minorities, is still very high.Likewise, people with disability tend not to have full access to quality sexualand reproductive health care, and also they are often subjected to domesticviolence.
Women in Vietnam including elderly women are particularly susceptibleto violence, and inclusiveness is critical to ensure social assistance andsocial protection for the ageing populations. With COVID-19, domestic andinternational migrant workers are in particular hardships, and specialconsideration is required to support them, also through income-generation,professional counselling, life skills and comprehensive sexuality education.
As UNFPA, we provide advice to countries in the world in line with theprinciples of the International Conference on Population and Development. Ourmandate as given by the UN member states is to support the country’s effort toensure that individuals and couples are able to decide freely and responsiblythe number, spacing and timing of children.
In demographic analysis, it isclear that population aging occurs not just because mortality declined, andpeople live longer, but because fertility declined. Also, the sex ratio atbirth in Vietnam is the third highest in Asia, following China and India,mostly a result of prenatal sex selection, as fertility limitation and declineexist in the country, coupled with a practice of son preference and theavailability of reproductive technology. The ICPD principles are there topromote sexual and reproductive health and rights for all, regardless of age,ethnicity, or gender.
I am confident that the partnership between UNFPA and Vietnam over the fourdecades will continue to thrive. In any situations, UNFPA reaffirm ourcontinuing commitment to “delivering Vietnam where every pregnancy is wanted,every childbirth is safe and every young person's potential is fulfilled”, andmaking sure that “no one is left behind”./.
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