Vietnam seeks to boost cooperation with international NGOs

Hanoi (VNA) – A conference discussing ways to promote cooperation in social security between Vietnam and foreign non-governmental organisations (NGOs) was jointly held by the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MoLISA) and the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations (VUFO) in Hanoi on December 19.

Speaking at the event, Deputy Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Le Tan Dung said the Vietnamese Government has made efforts to build and perfect the national legal system and policies on social security.

Foreign NGOs have actively helped the country reach significant results in the work, especially in job creation, vocational training, and sustainable poverty reduction, through cooperation projects, direct support provided for Vietnamese people, and technical assistance in building and implementing policies.

Dung highlighted the significance of foreign NGOs’ contributions, saying that they have not only benefited disadvantaged Vietnamese people, but also helped enhance the friendship between Vietnam and other countries.

With their approach of policy development and implementation, foreign NGOs have built innovative and flexible models, helping to ensure social security for people in many Vietnamese localities, especially vulnerable groups, he stressed.

Dung also underlined the need to build suitable cooperation mechanisms between the country and foreign NGOs in order to avoid overlapping and achieve more sustainable results in this work.

VUFO Vice President and Secretary General Don Tuan Phong said foreign NGOs have worked in all fields in localities nationwide recently, focusing on Vietnam’s priority sectors such as healthcare, education, agriculture and rural development, and solving social problems.

For the labour, invalids and social affairs sector, foreign NGOs have mainly supported children, people with disabilities, the elderly, Agent Orange victims, and others affected by the war, he added.

Phong said Vietnam needs great support and close cooperation from international organisations, expressing his hope that foreign NGOs will continue to cooperate with the country’s labour, invalids and social affairs sector at all levels.

The VUFO pledges to work with the MoLISA and localities to facilitate the operations of international NGOs in this field, he affirmed.

Participants at the event shared relevant information and pointed out barriers to overcome in the process of cooperation between foreign NGOs and Vietnam’s agencies, thus rolling out a more effective cooperation mechanism in the future.–VNA