Hanoi (VNA) – The Government and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) jointly held a ceremony in Hanoi on November 26 to mark 50 years of Vietnam–UNICEF cooperation and 35 years since the country ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC).
In 1990, Vietnam was the first in Asia and the second in the world to ratify the CRC – the most widely ratified human-rights treaty in history, with 196 state parties. Over 35 years of implementation, the nation has achieved significant progress. Its legal framework on children has been increasingly improved, including the 2016 Law on Children, which affirms that children are rights holders rather than merely recipients of care; the under-five mortality rate fell from 58‰ in 1990 to 16.9‰ in 2024; more than 90% of children under one year old receive full immunisation; and the rate of underweight malnutrition dropped from 38.7% in 1998 to 10.4% in 2024. Vietnam has seen a high rate of school attendance and the continuous expansion of its child-protection network.
At the ceremony, Deputy Prime Minister Le Thanh Long stressed that Vietnam has consistently prioritised resources and focused on policies to protect and care for the group, ensuring the best possible conditions for their comprehensive development and their safe, healthy living environment, especially for poor children, those in special circumstances, those with disabilities, and orphans.
In recent years, the country has introduced and implemented breakthrough policies across various sectors, particularly in education, including universal preschool education for children aged 3-5, tuition exemptions or support for preschoolers, and the establishment of STEM practice classrooms.
The Deputy PM affirmed that Vietnam highly values UNICEF’s support and partnership over the past 50 years. In the new development phase, the Vietnamese Government continues to view child-rights protection as a national strategic priority and is committed to strongly and comprehensively implementing policies to ensure that all children develop fully, safely, and equitably.
Vietnam looks forward to continued close cooperation and effective support from UNICEF, UN agencies, organisations, and partners at home and abroad in child-related efforts, Long remarked.
Addressing the event, June Kunugi, UNICEF Regional Director for East Asia and the Pacific, praised the country for its bold reforms and ambitious development goals. She said UNICEF will continue to stand with Vietnam by providing evidence-based solutions and fostering partnerships.
She noted that UNICEF has identified three priority areas for its support to Vietnam in the coming period. They are increasing investment in children and human capital; ensuring safety and empowerment within communities; and building family and community resilience to climate change, natural disasters, and social shocks.
On this occasion, Long presented the PM’s certificate of merit to UNICEF in recognition of its outstanding, persistent, and effective contributions over five decades of companionship for child rights in Vietnam./.
