The development and application of a multidimensional approach to child poverty

In the context of the Country Programme of Cooperation between the Government of Viet Nam and UNICEF 2006-2010, the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MOLISA) has coordinated the process of developing a new approach to child poverty for Viet Nam. Among the key outputs of this ongoing process are the child poverty rate and child poverty index presented in the present report.

The present report was prepared by Dr. Chris de Neubourgh, Dr. Franciska Gassman, and Keetie Roelen of the Graduate School of Governance, University of Maastricht, the Netherlands. It is the result of a multi-year process, involving extensive technical consultations and inputs from all relevant ministries including the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, Ministry of Planning and Investment, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education and Training, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and the Committee for Ethnic Minorities.

The General Statistics Office, the Institute of Labour Science and Social Affairs, and UNICEF Viet Nam provided significant technical expertise throughout the process. UNICEF provided financial support to the process, including from funds made available under the One UN Plan Fund mechanism.

See related documents:

• Summary Report
• Key Issues Papers
• Questions & Answers

An assessment of child protection laws and policies, especially children in special circumstances in Viet Nam

Protection, care and education of children are one of the best traditional practices of Vietnam. That tradition has been protected, respected and promoted. The attention and care of children are more evident since Vietnam has signed the United Nation Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1990; which is a strong commitment of the Government of Socialist Republic of Vietnam regarding of protection, care and education of children, ensuring all children are subject to equal treatment and best conditions for full potential development and a safe and healthy living environment so that all children are entitled to basic rights and fulfil their obligations.

Vietnam has been developing and improving its legislation in general as well as child care and protection legislation and policy. Vietnam’s legislation has reflected international standards and harmonious adoption of them in Vietnam’s specific context. This is the legal framework to ensure the exercise of child rights. However, in accompanied with rapidly increasing and diversified social relationships in child protection, the legal regulations in child protection need continuously review assessment and revision to accommodate Vietnam context as well as international legislations.

The Government of Vietnam - United Nations Joint Programme (JP) to fight Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) was developed by the Government of Vietnam together with United Nations (UN) Agencies to address the immediate emergency support needed to control the current outbreak. This programme includes two phases with estimated total cost of the Joint Programme is US$23.1 million for Phase I and Phase II combined. The overall objective of the programme is “To reduce the health risk to humans from avian influenza by controlling the disease at source in domestic poultry, by detecting and responding promptly to human cases, and by preparing for the medical consequences of a human pandemic”.

The midterm evaluation (MTE) of the JP Phase II is intended to: (i) Review progress of the JP towards its objectives and outcomes; (ii)Analyse the strengths and weaknesses of the management of the JP; (iii) Suggest adjustments to the programme (if needed); and (iv) Recommend concrete measures for improving the programme performance and achievement of the programme objectives and outcomes. In general, the Joint Programme has had impact on coordinating within and across the UN agencies and Ministries of the Government of Vietnam. Specifically, coordination between implementing agencies of the JP has been improved with a more holistic approach to solving a critical health issue for Vietnam and the region. In addition, HPAI control is improved due at least in part to the efforts of the JP and the concept of sustainable ecosystem health (managing the interface of animals, humans, and the environment) to prevent emerging infectious disease is present in bits and pieces of activities throughout the JP. Moreover, a number of key recommendations have been proposed for further improvign the JP.

On a typical day in Viet Nam almost twenty children die from injuries. Over half of them drown and many more are killed or severely wounded as a result of road traffic accidents, poisoning, falls, burns, animal bites and cuts from sharp objects. Although these injuries are easily preventable, they continue to harm Viet Nam’s children and to cause untold suffering for families and communities.

UNICEF has been working in partnership with the government of Viet Nam to combat this crisis since 2001. As one of the first childhood injury prevention (CIP) programmes of its kind in the developing world, UNICEF has helped to provide a comprehensive, cross-sectoral response to addressing childhood injury and has made significant progress at both national and local levels. Today, childhood injury is no longer an invisible issue in Viet Nam. Community members have become increasingly aware of the injury risks children face and have begun to change their behaviours to prevent unnecessary harm and deaths. Work in this area however is just getting started.  Childhood injury prevention remains a huge challenge in Viet Nam that will require the continued commitment of a wide range of partners, sectors and communities in order to save and improve the lives of children. This report formally documents the experiences and lessons learnt from UNICEF’s childhood injury prevention interventions in Viet Nam over the past seven years.

The results of the first-ever nationwide survey on the family in Viet Nam will be released on Thursday, June 26, at an official launch in the International Conference Centre in Ha Noi. The survey was carried out in 2006 by the Family Department of the Commission for Population, Family and Children, now moved to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MOCST), in collaboration with the General Statistical Office (GSO) and the Institute for Family and Gender Studies, with support from UNICEF. The objective of the survey was to obtain information on family issues and trends in Viet Nam through interviews with adults, adolescents and elderly family members.

The solid data generated by the survey - which includes both quantitative and qualitative data disaggregated by region, ethnicity, income, age, sex, etc. – will be used by the Government and development partners to inform policy making in a wide range of areas related to the family in Viet Nam. The survey also provides timely and sound evidence for the government to formulate policies, especially related to the important recent Law on Gender Equality and Law on Prevention and Control of Domestic Violence. The data will provide a solid basis for monitoring the impact of these laws over time, as well as insight into new trends and issues affecting families in Viet Nam.

The launch will feature statements by the Ministry of Culture, Sport and Tourism, and UNICEF Viet Nam, a presentation on the main findings and recommendations from the survey, and a video depicting some of the main themes emerging from the research.

Also see

•  Speech by Ms. Maniza Zaman, Deputy Representative of UNICEF
• Factsheet on the Family Survey