Ha Noi, 22 August 2012 – A new project on providing capacity support for the government officials in the implementation of the Vietnamese Youth Development Strategy is being signed today at an official ceremony attended by representatives of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MOHA), the Committee for Culture, Education, Youth, Adolescent and Children of the National Assembly (CCEYAC), the Youth Union (YU), other line ministries, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in Viet Nam and the media.
Addressing the signing ceremony, Mr. Tran Anh Tuan, Vice Minister of Home Affairs emphasized: "The Viet Nam Youth Development Strategy 2011-2020 shows that young people's development is the driving force for the country's sustainable development. This project will help address one of the enormous challenges young people are facing, that is their unmet needs as well as enhance their participation in youth related policy making process".
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. 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 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, this project, co-implemented by MOHA, YU and CCEYAC, with technical assistance from UNFPA, will contribute to the Focus Area Two of the One Plan: Access to Quality Essential Services and Social Protection.
According to the 2009 Census on Population and Housing, young people aged 10 to 30 years constitute approximately 40 per cent of the population of Viet Nam, representing an increasingly important proportion of the population. They represent the future of the country. Therefore, investment in young people will not only help them reach their full potential but will also contribute further to the country’s socio-economic growth and sustainable development.
"We hope this project, through multi-sectoral coordination, will play a key role in creating a supportive policy environment; ensuring that policies and programmes are evidence-based; providing capacity support for addressing young people's needs multi-sectorally; and fostering young people's leadership and participation," said Ms. Mandeep K. O'Brien, UNFPA Representative a.i. in Viet Nam. It was also emphasized that this project will play a key role in addressing young people’s needs on sexual and reproductive health and prevention of HIV and gender-based violence.
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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 in Viet Nam.
For further information, please contact:
Ms Nguyen Thi Hong Thanh
UN Communications Team
Email: tnguyen@unfpa.org
Tel: 04 3822 4383, ext: 117
Mr Doan Duc Hao
Ministry of Home Affairs
Email: doanduchao@moha.gov.vn
Tel: 04 62820404, ext : 9151
Click here to read UNFPA's speech in English and in Vietnamese
