Mr. Chairman,

My Delegation wishes to thank the Secretary-General for his comprehensive reports on this agenda item and aligns itself with the statement made earlier by the distinguished representative of Antigua and Barbuda on behalf of the Group of 77 and China.

Mr. Chairman,

In promotion of the long-standing tradition of child protection, care and education, Viet Nam has persisted in placing the responsibility of child protection, care and education at the heart of its national development strategies and policies. As the 1^st country in Asia and the 2^nd in the world to accede to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, we have strenuously worked to put in place the recommendations adopted in 2003 and 2006 by the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, and at the moment are finalizing the 3^rd and 4^th national reports on the implementation of the Convention during the 2002-2007 period. In this connection, allow me to sum up the five main measures we have undertaken to implement the Convention. First, to gradually localize the Convention through, inter alia, incorporating principles and rights enshrined in the Convention into the Labour Law, Law on Child Protection, Care and Education, Law on Military Service, Law on Gender Equality, Law on Civil Litigation related to Women and Child Rights Protection, and Ordinance on Prevention of Child Prostitution, to name a few. Second, to integrate child protection, care and education into socio-economic development programs and endorse the Plan of Action for Children to 2010, with a focus on improving the health and education conditions for children, disadvantaged children in particular. Third, to monitor the implementation of child rights, mainly through a) Establishment of different sets of indicators pertaining to child rights in general and families, women and ethnic minority children in particular; b) Collection of information and design of database on implementation of child-related programs; and c) Oversight by relevant bodies of the National Assembly and People’s Council at all levels, and supervision by children themselves. Fourth, to tap all available financial sources which primarily include Government budget allocations for integrated programs and projects on poverty reduction, education universalization, culture and healthcare network expansion, and HIV/AIDS control. They also include increasing contributions from local communities and individuals, as well as foreign assistance from both bilateral and multilateral sources. And fifth, to enhance international cooperation through accession to and implementation of related international instruments, and intensify IEC (information, education and communication) in order to further raise public awareness on the rights of the child through incorporation of child rights into school syllabuses and participation of mass media.

Mr. Chairman,

These synergetic efforts have yielded tangible progress, most notably in healthcare and education. Regarding healthcare, at present, 8.4 millions or over 90% of under-six children have a free Medicare card. The child mortality rates among the under-fives and under-ones have been brought down to 27.5/1,000 and 16/1,000 respectively. Viet Nam has been chosen by the World Health Organization to be one of the countries that will launch a report by the end of this year on achievements in reducing child injury rate. In education, a nationwide system which is expanded in scope and improved in quality has registered over 99% of 6-year-old child enrollment in primary schools. The rates of universalization have reached 97.5% for primary education and 85% for secondary education. Children of ethnic minorities have enjoyed greater entitlements in access to education and social safety net. Noteworthy is the switch to needs-based approach which aims to set up an environment where all children are properly protected and cared for. For your information, Mr. Chairman, with social care given today to 55% of orphans and 25% of children with disabilities, among them approximately 150,000 children victimized by dioxin-containing Agent Orange used during the war ended 33 years ago, we plan to ensure care for 90% of children living in special circumstances by 2010.

Mr. Chairman,

As we are moving onto the 2^nd half of the 2006-2010 5-year plan, our main concerns in this respect include transnational organized crimes, cross-border trafficking in women and children, prostitution, drug trafficking and abuse, and the spreading HIV/AIDS, let alone the overall poor physical infrastructures, weak management capacity, and unbalanced development levels among different geographic regions of the country. To counter-attack these problems, we need to strengthen international cooperation and improve efficiency of international assistance. On this occasion, permit me to acknowledge with deep gratitude the effective assistance and cooperation extended to us over the past years by the entire international community, including the UN system, particularly UNICEF, UNESCO, UNIFEM, UNFPA, WFP, through many projects and programs targeting children with disabilities, undernourished children, children in disadvantaged conditions, etc… Now, as in the past, we again count on the continued support in terms of experience, expertise, knowledge, techniques and finance from friends and partners, first of all from within the UN system. Thanks to your support, combined with our own all-out efforts, we will not fail you in this endeavor.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.