Social News 4/12 Vietnam to host regional environment ministers’ meetings Vietnam will host the 13th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on the Environment (AMME 13), the 14 th ASEAN+3 Environment Ministers’ Meeting and the 5 th East Asia Summit Environment Ministers’ Meeting and related events in 2015. The Prime Minister has asked Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MONRE) to coordinate with relevant agencies and localities to prepare for the organisation of these meetings. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has been also urged to work closely with the MONRE to organise meetings on transboundary haze pollution within the framework of AMME 13. New system planned to handle feedback on admin procedures The Prime Minister has given nod to the building of a system to collect and process public feedback on administrative regulations and the implementation of administrative procedures at all levels. The Ministry of Justice is assigned to approve and implement the detailed plan for the system. The military-run telecom group Viettel is required to complete the building of technical infrastructure for the system no later than May 2015. The PM also instructed that Viettel should complete building of technical infrastructure for the system of electronic portals of State-run agencies and the Government administrative information e-network before the end of 2016. Vietnam joins Asian-Pacific countries at Malaysian geofest Vietnam showed off the most stunning images of the Dong Van Karst Plateau Geo-Park in the northernmost province of Ha Giang at a recently concluded geofest in Langakawi archipelago, Malaysia’s Kedah state. The Vietnamese delegation, led by Vice Chairman of the Ha Giang People’s Committee Tran Duc Quy, also displayed some local special products. Joining Vietnam at the event were other countries home to geo-parks in Asia-Pacific such as Indonesia , Thailand, and the Republic of Korea, which shared their information and expertise in the field with an aim to increase public and tourist awareness of the importance of nature conservation with the consideration of biodiversity and geo-diversity. Chief Executive Officer of the Langkawi Development Authority Khalid Ramli said maintaining a network of cooperation among countries with existing geo-parks or which are developing them is important to improving the various aspects of geo-park development. Vice Chairman Quy told Vietnam News Agency correspondents in Malaysia that Vietnam ’s engagement in this event was to promote tourism and learn from other countries’ tourism development experience. Dong Van plateau was recognised as a member of the Global Network of National Geoparks in 2010, becoming Vietnam’s first geological park and the second in Southeast Asia. Covering a total area of 2,356 km2, it is 80 percent limestone and contains the fossils of thousands of species of prehistoric creatures from 400-600 million years ago. It is also home to over 250,000 people from 17 different ethnic groups, who boast unique cultures that have been fostered over the centuries. Recently, 14 archaeological sites were excavated in the plateau, which covers Dong Van, Meo Vac, and Yen Minh districts, revealing hundreds of relics believed to appear in the prehistoric and protohistoric times. In September 2014, the Dong Van Karst Plateau Geo-Park was re-recognised as a member of the Global Network of National Geo-parks for the 2015-2018 period. Hanoi enhances ties with foreign NGOs The Hanoi Department for External Affairs held a conference on December 3 to intensify the city’s cooperation with international non-governmental organisations (NGOs). Participants evaluated collaboration between the municipal authorities and NGOs as well as the efficiency of the projects carried out in the city. Over the past 10 years, the capital has mobilised over 53 million USD from foreign NGOs. It has also set up ties with 180 organisations, with many operating in the city for a long time and greatly contributing to its socio-economic development. Phung The Long, Head of the Foreign Ministry’s External Affairs Department, spoke highly of NGO-funded projects, which he said have helped the city address social and health issues. Glenn Gibney, Chief Representative of Plan International in Vietnam , asked for more regular exchanges between the organisations and authorities of localities where projects are being implemented, particularly on administrative procedures. Delegates appreciated the Hanoi department’s initiative to actively set up information sharing channels with foreign NGOs. The organisations’ representatives also vowed to continue coordinating with the city’s offices in designing suitable projects that provide practical assistance for poor and disadvantaged people.- Tay Ninh sends human traffickers to jail The People’s Court of the southwestern province of Tay Ninh sentenced Pham Thi Ngoc Tuyet to eight years in prison for masterminding a ring to traffic women to China. At a trial held on December 2, Tuyet’s accomplices, including Truong Thi Minh Hien, Ka’ Thuy Linh, Dai Chang Sheng (a Chinese national), Tran Dinh Nhan, Tran Van Thanh, Nguyen Thi Kim Mo, Huynh Thi Le, Duong Van Chanh, Duong Quoc Nghia, and Nguyen Thi Lan, got from 2 to 7 years in prison. According to an indictment by the Tay Ninh People’s Procuracy, Ka’ Thuy Linh and her husband, Dai Chang Seng, and Yang Yue Kun were caught at Tan Son Nhat international airport on June 4, 2014, while processing exit procedures for three Vietnamese girls to China, where they were sold to local men for a purpose of marriage. The discovery led the police to promptly arrest Tuyet, Chanh, Nghia, Lan, Hien, Nhan, Thanh , Mo and Le. Investigations showed that in 2013, Tuyet, born in 1975 and residing in Dinh Quan district, Dong Nai province, and Nhan, born in 1977 and residing in District 7, Ho Chi Minh City, agreed with the Ka’ Thuy Linh and Dai Chang Sheng couple to arrange illegal matchmakings for Chinese men in Vietnam. Each successful deal earned Tuyet and Nhan about 110 million VND, said the verdict. The ring tricked 11 gullible girls and trafficked 7 of them to China. Vietnam needs int’l assistance to help bomb and mine victims The assistance of international partners and non-governmental organisations is needed to help Vietnamese victims of bombs and mines integrate into the community, especially when Vietnam has ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, heard a workshop in Hanoi on December 3. The workshop was held to look for ways to boost cooperation between Vietnam and development partners in providing support for bomb and mine victims, as a move to promote the rights of the disabled as committed in the convention. Participants noted that protecting the rights of people with disabilities in general and bomb and mine victims in particular is one of the priorities of the Vietnamese Government. The country has built a legal system, implemented national programmes, and joined global initiatives to promote human rights, including those of the disabled. Vietnam was among the first countries to sign the convention in 2007 and the National Assembly has recently ratified it, creating a legal framework and guidance for policies and activities providing healthcare services and functional rehabilitation to bomb and mine victims, particularly those in the central part of Vietnam . The country has around 7 million people with disabilities, accounting for 7.8 percent of its population, many of whom are the victims of bombs and mines left over from war. Annually, about 1,530 die and 2,270 are injured due to bomb and mine accidents. lderly seek share of rising incomes The income of every age group has risen in Vietnam, except for people aged between 65 and 80. This information was released at a conference about media and population issues, held on December 3 in the northern port city of Hai Phong. The conference was organised by the Party Central Committee's Commission for Publicity and Education and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in Vietnam. Experts agreed that several factors could explain the bad economic outcomes for the elderly. Changes in family composition and social norms may lead to more old people living alone. Increased life expectancy meant that old people may exhaust their savings well before their death. Government policies to ensure income protection of older persons, especially those between 60 and 79 years old, are falling short. Less than 100,000 people, accounting for 1.3 percent of the population in that age group, receive monthly social pension, according to the latest statistics of the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social affairs. The statistics also showed that some of the richer provinces had increased the social pension benefits, such as Hanoi with 350,000 VND (17 USD) and Ho Chi Minh City with 240,000 VND (11 USD) per month. However, most provinces still apply the basic benefit level, as regulated in the government's decree 13/2010/ND-CP issued in 2010, which is 180,000 VND (8.5 USD). Due to fewer female workers participating in social security programmes, fewer women benefit from contributory pensions. Less than eight percent of the women above the age of 60 receive a contributory pension, whereas more than 12 percent of the men of the same age group receive the pension. Associate Professor Pham Van Linh, Deputy Director of the Party Central Committee's Commission for Publicity and Education, suggested that the government should consider drawing up a medium-term comprehensive strategy to ensure income security in old age, including social pension and contributory pension, in order to provide a social protection net to older persons. "A longer term strategy for a comprehensive pension system and old age benefits should be considered to ensure the coherence of social insurance and social assistance schemes," he said. Arthur Erken, UNFPA representative in Vietnam, said, "The elderly are not the society's burden; they are also social workforces." The government should quickly respond to the rapid ageing of the population and seriously consider employment opportunities for older persons as a means to ensuring income and social welfare for them, he said. Policies and social welfare programmes for the elderly should quickly adapt to the increasing number of older people. The government should also set up a social sponsoring system, strong enough to ensure a combination of different generations in the society, said Arthur. Agreeing with the idea, Professor Nguyen Dinh Cu from the National Economics University's Institute for Population and Social Issues suggested that the issue of social welfare of the elderly should be added to all development strategies. The government could apply a step-by-step method, while increasing social pensions for the elderly if the sources of funds are limited, he added. Insurance company joins programme aiding traffic victims’ relatives Vietnam’s National Traffic Safety Committee (NTSC) and the life insurance company Prudential Vietnam on December 3 inked a coordination memorandum of understanding (MoU) on implementing a programme supporting relatives of traffic accident victims. The NTSC’s data show that more than 20 people die of traffic accidents in the country every day while nearly 70 others become disabled for their remaining life, leaving their relatives utmost sorrow along with an array of difficulties. In a bid to deliver the community’s assistance to victims’ relatives, the NTSC-launched programme includes a number of activities such as granting scholarships to victims’ children, helping their relatives find jobs and funding medical treatment fees. Prudential Vietnam’s Prudence Foundation is the first to join the NTSC’s programme. Accordingly, the foundation is supporting the drive from now to 2019 with scholarships to be granted to dead victims’ children in poor families and free life insurance contracts to poor widowed spouses who are raising under-18 children. At the MoU signing ceremony, scholarships were granted to 45 school children from Hanoi and eight northern provinces. Prison staff trained to improve treatment of female inmates More than 40 public-security staff and officers working with female prisoners in northern Vietnam on December 3 began a three-day training programme on the treatment of women in prison and on offering non-custodial measures (the so-called Bangkok Rules) for some. The workshop, which is organised by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNDOC) and Ministry of Public Security, is the first step in activities to strengthen the capacity of criminal justice institutes. "In the course of this training workshop, we will examine the Bangkok Rules to increase understanding of international standards," UNDOC official Piera Barzano said. This event is a real opportunity to actively discuss how to integrate women's human rights into prison management activities, she added. Barzano said she highly appreciates the cooperation between the Ministry of Public Security and UNODC in HIV prevention, treatment and care in prisons, overcoming gender-based violence, fighting corruption, countering cyber crime and fighting human trafficking. Barzano said UNODC will support the ministry in implementing existing projects and developing new ones relating to the fight against terrorism, corruption, money laundering and environmental and hi-tech crimes. Nguyen Van Ninh, Deputy Director General of the Department for Making Criminal Judgments, said Vietnam has progressed in the implementation of prison reform and the ministry has worked with the Vietnam Women's Union to enhance the capacity of prison staff in handling female prisoners. Ninh added that women have different needs when they are imprisoned. This includes pre and post-natal care and hygiene needs and an understanding that they are primary caregivers. The Bangkok Rules, supplementing the Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners, 1955, was approved by the UN General Assembly in 2010. It addresses the range of needs specific to female prisoners, detainees and those subject to non-custodial security measures. Vietnam looks to enhance tourism occupational standards Vietnam should accelerate the implementation of the national tourism occupational skills standards (VTOS) in order to increase the tourism sector’s competitiveness on the eve of the formation of the ASEAN Economic Community, delegates said at a conference in Hanoi on December 3. Ambassador Franz Jessen, head of the European Union delegation in Vietnam, said that the VTOS, built with the assistance from the EU, Vietnamese tourism training establishments would be equipped better to train a young work force, meeting the increasing demand in Vietnam’s growing tourism sector. At the conference, experts in the industry highlighted the importance as well as benefits of the VTOS. Built in 2007 and revised in July this year, the set of standards will help Vietnam get ready for implementing the ASEAN’s Mutual Recognition Arrangement on Tourism Professionals (MRA-TP). The MRA-TP will facilitate the mobility of tourism professionals in ASEAN, thus contributing to the development of the tourism industry of the ASEAN Community in general and Vietnam’s tourism in particular, head of Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT), Nguyen Van Tuan, said. The conference is the first of its kind discussing the implementation of the VTOS in line with the MRA-TP. It was co-organised by the EU-sponsored ‘Programme for Developing Tourism Capacity Associated with Environmental and Social Responsibilities’ Project and Euro Cham Vietnam. A similar event will be held in Ho Chi Minh City on December 5. Workshop improves gender violence victims’ access to justice A workshop entitled “Access to justice for survivors of gender-based violence: Gaps in policies and implementation” took place in Hanoi on December 3. The event was jointly held by the Centre for Studies and Applied Sciences in Gender-Family-Women and Adolescents (CSAGA), UN Women, CARE and OXFAM in response to 16 days of activism against gender-based violence 2014 (from November 15 to December 10) and a national campaign called “Join hands to end violence against women and girls”. It aimed to create a dialogue between policymakers, law enforcement officials, violence victims and domestic and foreign organisations to discuss measures to promote the victims’ access to justice, said Shoko Ishikawa, UN Women Chief Representative in Vietnam . The workshop also mentioned policies, laws and a legal assistance system for survivors of gender-based violence as well as put forth recommendations to authorized agencies and policymakers to narrow gaps in policies and implementation. A report delivered at the event showed that 58 percent of married women experienced at least one form of domestic violence during their life and up to 87 percent did not seek any assistance from public services. Construction plan for Central Highlands announced The Ministry of Construction announced a master construction plan for the Central Highlands until 2030, with the urbanisation ratio reaching about 40.7 percent by the year, at a ceremony in Buon Ma Thuot city, Dak Lak province, on December 2. The region, comprising the provinces of Dak Lak, Kon Tum, Dak Nong and Lam Dong covering a total area of 54,641 square kilometers, has a strategic position in security, defence and economy. Under the plan, the total population of the region is predicted to reach over 6.2 million by 2020, with over 2 million people living in urban areas. By 2030, the figures are expected to rise to 7.39 million and 3.1 million, respectively. Total construction area of the region will be 23,888 hectares by 2020 and 33,475 hectares by 2030, with average per capita area of up to 110-120 square metres and 100-120 square metres, respectively, according to the plan. The plan sets that until 2020, the region will have 89 urban areas, including 62 upgraded and expanded cities and 27 new ones. By 2030, the number will be increased to 117. The plan also draws out orientations for the development of services, trade, border trade, economic zones, health care, education, sports, culture, tourism, as well as agro-forestry and industry. During a conference to announce the plan, regional localities pledged to design measures to manage population and the formation and development of urban and economic areas in line with the plan, while working together to boost regional cooperation.- Foreign NGOs-funded projects benefit Thua Thien-Hue Foreign non-governmental organisations (NGOs) have provided 79.2 million USD in aid for the central province of Thua Thien Hue since 2003, helping improve the living conditions for local people through a large number of social projects. A seminar in the province on December 2 heard that in the first ten months of this year, NGOs earmarked a total assistance of 3.5 million USD for the locality through 48 projects, of which 2.9 million USD was disbursed, equivalent to 92 percent of the same period last year’s figure. Since 2003, Thua Thien Hue has licensed 115 overseas NGOs, including 51 in America and 43 in Europe . Their aid has gone to agricultural and rural development, climate change adaptation, human resources development and job generation, education, healthcare, unexploded ordnance clearance, heritage preservation, community development and credit. With the participation of representatives from 22 global NGOs operating in the locality, the seminar focused on how to boost cooperation between state management agencies and the locality’s partners in mobilising aid from NGOs in 2015-2020. Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Nguyen Dung spoke of foreign NGOs’ support for socio-economic development and poverty reduction in Thua Thien-Hue, especially in remote areas. He said that the local authorities always pay attention to mobilising aid from NGOs and vow to manage and use the source in a reasonable and effective way. Overseas Vietnamese connect in Australia The Consulate General of the Vietnam Embassy in Sydney Hoang Minh Son delivered a keynote address on December 1 at a business forum held by the Australian Chapter of the Vietnamese Business Association. Speaking to the hundreds of Overseas Vietnamese (OVs) attending the event Son suggested that they should faithfully adhere to the slogan “Vietnamese people give priority to using Vietnamese goods”. This he said would help provide a much needed stimulus to the homeland’s domestic production, create jobs for labourers and provide impetus to the nation gaining a solid foothold in the Australian market place. Those in attendance at the forum opined on a vast array of measures aimed at boosting trade and investment with the land down under and shared their valuable insights and experiences. For his part, Vo Van Quyen, head of the MoIT’s Domestic Market Department, spoke about the positive response by the Vietnamese community both at home and abroad to the campaign for Vietnamese to give priority to Vietnamese goods. After five years of implementing the programme, there has been an overwhelmingly positive response and 70% of Vietnamese people believe in and regularly use Vietnamese high-quality goods, Quyen said. The President of Australian Chapter of the Vietnamese Business Association Tran Ba Phuc in turn highlighted the significance of the forum which helps Vietnamese and foreign enterprises get updated on the homeland’s economic development. The forum was organized by the Vietnam Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) in co-ordination with Vietnam Trade Office and the Australian Chapter of the Vietnamese Business Association. Company fined for environmental violation Miwon Vietnam Co., Ltd, based in the northern province of Phu Tho, has been fined 515 million VND (24,000 USD) for discharging waste water into the environment. In addition, its pollution causing activities will be suspended for three consecutive months. Within six months, the company has to terminate the discharge of waste water that exceeds the permitted level by 10 times. Earlier in April 2014, the provincial People’s Committee issued a decision to impose administrative penalty on the company for the same violation. Miwon Vietnam , wholly invested by the Republic of Korea , was set up in April 1994 and specialises in producing and trading Monosodium Glutamate (MSG), food seasoning and flavouring products. Dien Bien successfully limits HIV spread The northern mountainous province of Dien Bien recorded 291 new HIV-infected cases i n the first ten months of 2014, a reduction of 155 cases from the same period last year, according to Hoang Xuan Chien, Director of the provincial centre for HIV/AIDS prevention and control. Once leading the country in the ratio of HIV infections per ten thousand people, Dien Bien has successfully brought down the number of new infections by around 200 – 300 cases each year since 2010 as the result of numerous intervention programmes. However, the rate remains high in rural and remote areas due to a lack of information on the disease and qualified medical services. Director Chien said despite the stable records, the future outbreak of the virus is latent, requiring more drastic and effective measures to maintain overall sustainable progress. By 2015, the province strives to constrain HIV infected rate among high-risk group, especially those using drug injection, via providing more and better counseling and testing services while expanding the scale of methadone treatment programme. Dien Bien currently has 7,528 HIV positive persons and 9,500 drug addicts officially monitored. HCM City speeds up administrative reforms The Ho Chi Minh City government has urged grassroots authorities to be more active in pursuing administrative reforms, saying people's satisfaction with administrators is not increasing fast enough. At a December 2 meeting with leaders of the city's 322 wards, 24 districts, and 18 departments and sectors, Le Hoang Quan, Chairman of People's Committee and head of the HCM City Administrative Reform Steering Committee, urged them to speed up reforms. The reforms are vital for improving the efficiency of the administration and ensuring socio-economic development, he said. Truong Van Lam, Director of the city's Department of Home Affairs, quoted a survey done by the HCM City Institute for Development Studies as saying that while there is a rise in confidence in administrators, it has been slow. Quan said the city's economic growth is expected to be 9.5 percent this year, higher than last year's 9.3 percent. "After the meeting to review the city's economy after 11 months this year, we will see that if we strengthen administrative reforms, the growth rate will be much higher." Companies have contributed greatly to growth, and customs and tax reforms have helped them reduce the time taken for procedures, he said. But he blamed some departments and agencies for not performing their tasks of serving the people well and ensuring the city's socio-economic development. The meeting heard from the Department of Home Affairs, however, that most programmes and targets for administrative reform this year have been completed. According to the department, the task of assessing legal documents and administrative procedures has been done regularly, helping improve administrative efficiency. Through this process, the city has scrapped 10 administrative procedures out of 2,182 this year. According to the department, many sectors have started to make use of information technology to speed up administrative reform. A single-door policy has been adopted by all wards, districts, departments, and sectors to improve administrative services for both individuals and companies. The Department of Information and Communication has upgraded the IT infrastructure at government offices in every district. The electronic system with 13,707 electronic mail boxes is being put into good use at government offices, according to report. At the meeting, directions on strengthening administrative reform were announced. A seven-page document requires heads of departments, districts, and other offices to monitor their subordinates and be accountable if reforms are tardy. Source: VNN/VNA/VNS/VOV/SGT/SGGP/ND