Discussing at the meeting, Ms. Lesley Miller acknowledged that over the years, UNICEF has cooperated very closely and effectively with the People’s Committee of Da Nang City in many programs and projects, typically the cooperation program within the framework of the Child Friendly Cities Initiative (CFCI). UNICEF has also supported Da Nang to develop the City’s Situation Analysis of Children and Adolescents in Da Nang, published in 2020. Based on the report’s recommendations and analysis results, UNICEF has successfully supported Da Nang City together with relevant departments, agencies, and sectors to develop an action program for the city’s chi.

“Currently, UNICEF has started a new 5-year cooperation cycle with the Government of Viet Nam (2022 - 2026), in which Da Nang is identified as one of the strategic partners. With that orientation, we are working together to develop independent documents and annual plans between UNICEF and the city. We hope that these documents would soon be completed and signed, acting as a basis to promote the implementation of cooperation programs between both parties”, Deputy Representative of UNICEF in Viet Nam informed.

According to Ms. Lesley Miller, in the next 5 years, UNICEF will identify 5 main goals and priorities in their hope to cooperate with Da Nang City. First is issues related to the city’s policies on children, from planning to budget allocation prioritizing child issues, and policies on social assistance in light of child-friendliness and priority given to children. UNICEF wishes to cooperate with the Department of Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs to implement a model of linking social assistance with other essential services for children such as health, nutrition, and education.

Second is the issue of strengthening the system to protect children from abuse, exploitation, and violence. Third is to ensure education quality and digital skills for children, to guarantee that all children, especially disadvantaged, disabled children, and those living in industrial zones, have access to a good education. At the same time, schools should be built with activities to raise children’s awareness about climate change, preserving a green and clean environment for children.

Fourth is to raise awareness as well as practice on nutrition and hygiene for students and young people, and educate children about a healthy lifestyle. The fifth priority is to promote the participation of children and adolescents in policy making, planning, and budgeting, and child-related issues such as education, health, and environmental protection.

“With Da Nang’s strong commitments to children’s rights, we positively hope that the cooperation relationship between both sides will continue to be greatly nurtured and developed, for the common goal of protecting and developing a safe and healthy living environment for children”, Deputy Representative of UNICEF in Viet Nam shared.

On behalf of the city’s leaders, Vice Chairman Ngo Thi Kim Yen expressed her gratitude and appreciation for the positive support of UNICEF Viet Nam, as well as Ms. Lesley Miller personally, for their care, education, and protection of children in Da Nang City in recent years, especially supporting the city to participate in the Child-friendly Cities Initiative. With the support of UNICEF Viet Nam, the city has effectively promoted its funding, advanced the realization of children’s rights, and significantly improved the lives of children, especially vulnerable ones.

According to the Vice Chairman of the City’s People’s Committee, the Vietnamese Government in general and the city leaders in particular are very concerned with child care and protection issues, and have issued many supportive policies, from medical examination and treatment, health care, to education. Along with general guidelines and policies, the city also has many programs and activities that pay special attention to children such as: school milk program; mothers’ milk bank; skin-to-skin program for babies right from birth; etc. The city has also spent a large budget to invest in the healthcare system and educational institutions, and improve the number of pediatricians to ensure the best possible child care conditions.

Recently, the City’s People’s Committee has issued an Action Program for Da Nang City’s Children for the 2021-2030 period, with a series of goals and activities, in which it wishes to receive UNICEF’s attention and support for goals such as: to ensure that every child lives, develops, and receives the best care in terms of health, nutrition, access to, and use of quality medical examination and treatment services, and essential social services; children can access clean water and sanitation in families’ homes and schools; they should be valued, respected, and treated fairly in the community; and children should have opportunities for comprehensive development with priority given to the first years of life.

In addition, it should be ensured that all children are protected and prevented from abuse and violence, exploitation, and trafficking; priority should be given to support children at risk of abuse, children from poor households, ethnic minorities, and those in immigrant families, and to children injury prevention. All children should have access to quality education and healthy conditions of entertainment, culture, art, sports, and tourism suitable to practical conditions.
“With the great affection and concern from the city leaders for children and issues related to children, together with the dedication and commitment for children of public servants working with children, I believe that the cooperation and programs between Da Nang and UNICEF will bring great results. Together we will successfully build a child-friendly Da Nang City”.

NGO HUYEN