HA NOI, 14 August 2012 – A new project on improving the capacity of Viet Nam Social Organizations in response to gender-based violence and emerging population issues between the Central Viet Nam Farmers' Union (VFU), and the Central Viet Nam Women's Union (VWU) with technical assistance from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), is being signed today at an official ceremony attended by Mr. Leu Vu Dieu, Vice Chairman of VFU, Ms. Tran Thanh Binh Vice Chairman of VWU and Ms. Mandeep K. O'Brien, UNFPA Deputy Representative in Viet Nam.
Viet Nam officially graduated to a middle-income country status in 2010. The country has achieved extraordinary economic growth even in recent hard times, and has successfully lifted hundreds of thousands of people out of poverty.
"Over the past years, Viet Nam has gained many important achievements on population, family planning, reproductive health, gender equality and domestic violence prevention, contributing significantly to the country's socio-economic development and poverty reduction," said Mr. Leu Vu Dieu, Vice Chairman of VFU Viet Nam at the signing ceremony.
However, wide disparities between urban and rural areas, geographical areas and vulnerable groups, especially ethnic minority people still exist. The One Plan 2012-2016 between the Government of Viet Nam and the United Nations (UN) signed in March 2012 will help in contributing to address the challenges ahead and to ensure balanced, equitable and sustainable development so that no-one is left behind, not even the most vulnerable or disadvantaged.
Within the context of the One Plan (2012-2016), this project will contribute to the Focus Area Two of the One Plan: Access to quality essential services and social protection. "We hope this project will play a key role in improving capacity of the national and sub-national officials of the social organizations including VFU and VWU in evidence-based policy advocacy through community-based models that can be scaled up for nationwide implementation and influencing existing policies on Gender-Based Violence, Sex Ratio at Birth imbalance, Ageing and other emerging population issues," said Ms. Mandeep K. O'Brien, UNFPA Deputy Representative in Viet Nam. It was also emphasized that this project will further reach out to and work with men and boys in policies and programmes to tackle violence against women and girls and sex ratio at birth imbalance.
Click here to read UNFPA speech
Notes to editors:
There are 16 UN agencies – FAO, IFAD, ILO, ITC, UNAIDS, UNDP, UNEP, UNESCO, UNFPA, UN-HABITAT, UNICEF, UNIDO, UNODC, UNV, UN Women and WHO – as well as IOM participating in the One Plan.
For further information, please contact:
Ms. Nguyen Thi Hong Thanh
UN Communications Team
Email: tnguyen@unfpa.org
Tel: 04 3822 4383, ext: 117
Ms. Pham Thu Huong
Central Viet Nam Farmers' Union
Email: pthp12nd@yahoo.com
Tel: 0916382839
