HA NOI, 29 August 2012 – Two new projects on Prevention of Domestic Violence, Addressing Imbalanced Sex Ratio at Birth and Promotion of Care for the Elderly was signed on 27 and 29 August 2012 in Hai Duong and Ben Tre provinces. Attending these ceremonies were representatives from the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI), Ministry of Health (MOH), Ministry of Culture Sports and Tourism (MOCST), Provincial Peoples' Committee (PPC), Department of Health (DoH), Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (DOLISA) and Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism (DOCST) of Hai Duong and Ben Tre provinces and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) 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. 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. Within the context of the One Plan, these projects, co-implemented by the DoH, DOLISA and DOCST of Hai Duong and Ben Tre provinces, with technical assistance from UNFPA, will contribute to the Focus Area Two of the One Plan: Access to Quality Essential Services and Social Protection.
Ms. Mandeep K. O'Brien, UNFPA Deputy Representative, at the launch in Hai Duong province
"We hope this collaboration, through multi-sectoral coordination, will play a key role in preventing domestic violence, addressing sex ratio at birth imbalance and prom
oting care for the elderly in Viet Nam, and demonstrate cost-effective intervention models for provincial and nationwide replication," said Mr. Bruce Campbell, UNFPA Representative in Viet Nam.
It was emphasized that these projects will further reach out to men and boys and mobilize local resources to tackle domestic violence, sex ratio at birth imbalance and population ageing for the country's sustainable development. This project will also link with and contribute to the engagement with Social Organizations, MOCST, MOLISA, MOH and the National Assembly on these issues, within the framework of the One Plan.
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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
Click here to read UNFPA's speech in English and in Vietnamese of the event in Hai Duong province
Click here to read UNFPA's speech in English and in Vietnamese of the event in Ben Tre province
