Vietnam on way to complete MDGs, better ensure basic human rights

Vietnam’s performance towards the Millennial Development Goals (MDGs), particularly those regarding poverty reduction, gender equality and education, over the past years has won international recognition.

The MDGs were defined by the United Nations as tools to better ensure the basic human rights in the fields of economics, culture, society, civil rights and politics. It can be said that those goals further specify thebasic human rights as stipulated in universal documents adopted by the UN, including the Universal Declaration on Human Rights, the International Covenant on Economic, Cultural and Social Rights, the International Convention on Civil and Political Rights, the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discriminations against Women.

Vietnam reached the goal of eradicating extreme poverty and starvation in 2002, ahead of schedule, and reduced the country’s poverty rate from 58.1 percent in 1993 to 6 percent in 2014.

The country also completed the universalisation of primary education in 2010, and is working towards universalising secondary education.

The targets on gender equality and improved women’s position have been basically fulfilled, malaria and some dangerous diseases have been put under control and the spread of HIV has been curbed.

The goal on reducing children mortality rate is now within reach as the rate among under-one children dropped from 44 per thousand in 1990 to 15 per thousand in 2014, just 0.2 per thousand short of target. The mortality rate among under-five reduced by more than half over the past two decades to 22.9 per thousand in 2014.

Vietnam has remained focused on environmental protection over the past 20 years, and the State budget allocation for the issue has increased remarkably, not less than 1 percent of the government’s total expenditure.

Irish Ambassador to Vietnam Cait Moran recently welcomed the announcement of Vietnam’s framework plan of action for ethnic minority groups in a bid to achieve the MDGs and two national target programmes on sustainable poverty alleviation and new rural development.

Those schemes will provide important supplementary resources to boost socio-economic development in disadvantaged rural areas, he said.

Pratibha Mehta, UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative in Vietnam, said Vietnam’s achievements can be attributed to the entire country’s concerted efforts to completing the MDGs.

She said the UN is ready to help Vietnam implement its sustainable development goals.

Since joining the World Trade Organisation, Vietnam has established trade ties with nearly 230 countries and territories and has investment ties with 84 countries and territories. The country has signed more than 90 bilateral trade agreements.