Ha Noi, 14/8/2012 - The Committee for Ethnic Minority Affairs (CEMA), with United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) support, today held a Policy Forum to support Human Resource Development in Ethnic Minority and Mountainous Areas.

The Minister and Chairman of the Committee for Ethnic Minority Affairs Giang Seo Phu, President of the National Assembly’s Ethnic Minority Council K’Sor Phuoc and the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Viet Nam Pratibha Mehta together underscored the Government of Viet Nam’s commitment to the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD). The delegates, who included Government of Viet Nam, National Assembly, United Nations, development partner, ethnic minority and research institute representatives, presented issues central to the human resource development policy-making process to create equal opportunities for ethnic minority people to participate in the socio-economic development process across Viet Nam.  

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Ha Noi, 16 July, 2012 - The Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) carried out today the seminar ‘Experiences to Enhance the Quality of the Vocational Training System for Industry and Trade in Viet Nam’. The aim of the seminar is to contribute to the current debate on the status of the vocational training system in Viet Nam, to present the challenges that lie ahead, and to learn from good international practices.

Over the last years, the government of Viet Nam has engaged in a major reform to increase the access and quality of training, making it more demand-oriented while seeking financial sustainability. These efforts are starting to pay off. According to recent surveys, 80-85 per cent of workers hired by enterprises have vocational training, and more than 70 per cent of trainees from vocational schools find jobs after graduation.

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Ensuring universal access to reproductive health services is key to protecting the health of young people, women, mothers and their babies. © UNFPA Việt Nam\Hà Giang 2010\Đoàn Bảo ChâuHA NOI, 10 July 2012 – At a press conference organized today in Ha Noi to commemorate the 2012 World Population Day, the Ministry of Health and the United Nations (UN) in Viet Nam called for increased efforts to accelerate progress towards the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), with a specific focus on MDG5 on "Achieving Universal Access to Reproductive Health by 2015".

Reproductive health problems remain the leading cause of ill-health and death for women of childbearing age worldwide. According to a new study by the Guttmacher Institute and UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, some 222 million women who would like to avoid or delay pregnancy, lack access to effective family planning. Nearly 800 women die every day in the process of giving life. About 1.8 billion young people are entering their reproductive years, often without the knowledge, skills and services they need to protect themselves.

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