UNICEF hails Viet Nam’s strong commitment to child rights
VGP - Viet Nam was among the first countries to sign the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, demonstrating its strong commitment to child rights, noted Regional Director of UNICEF's Asia-Pacific Regional Office Sanjay Wijesekera.
Deputy Prime Minister Pham Thi Thanh Tra (R) hosts a reception for Regional Director of UNICEF's Asia-Pacific Regional Office Sanjay Wijesekera, Ha Noi, August 24, 2026 - Photo: VGP
Wijesekera made the above statement during his meeting with Deputy Prime Minister Pham Thi Thanh Tra in Ha Noi on August 24.
He said Viet Nam's achievements, underpinned by sustainable strategies, offer valuable experience for other countries to learn from.
The UNICEF official proposed strengthening cooperation in youth and adolescents, education, climate change, investment in children, as well as enhancing coordination on artificial intelligence (AI) and digital transformation to prevent online risks.
Tra, for her part, affirmed that over the past 50 years, UNICEF has consistently accompanied and provided strong support to Viet Nam in protecting, caring for, educating and promoting the development of children.
According to the Deputy Prime Minister, Viet Nam currently has 24.95 million children, with ethnic minority children accounting for 18.3 percent, children living in multidimensional poverty 8.4 percent, and children in special circumstances 3.2 percent. About 80 percent of children in special circumstances receive support.
The nation regards child protection in digital environment as an important task amid the country's digital transformation, she underlined, adding that the Prime Minister has approved the program on protecting and supporting children's development in the online environment for 2026-2030.
She urged UNICEF to conduct in-depth, strategic research on child protection in the digital environment and the AI era, and develop solutions to capitalize on technological opportunities while preventing impacts on children's mental health, nutrition, intellectual development and overall well-being.
Pham called on UNICEF to share expertise, technical assistance and resources to help Viet Nam strengthen its governance capacity and translate international knowledge and experience into practice, thereby improving the quality and effectiveness of child protection, care and education.
Viet Nam wishes to continue actively participating in global initiatives on children and sharing its experience in child protection and care, unveiled the official.
She expressed her confidence that Viet Nam-UNICEF cooperation would continue to be strengthened in a substantive and effective manner, contributing to building a better future for every child./.