On July 21, HILC conducted a joint press conference with VFD and the representative of Vietnam to SOMSWD who is also the focal point to ACWC, Ms. Ha Thi Minh Duc. HILC Project Manager Ms. Nguyen Hong Ha briefly explained the Enabling Masterplan’s action points and emphasized the need to protect the rights of persons with disabilities amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Next, the Executive Vice Chair of VFD, Mr. Dang Van Thanh, raised the need to harmonize Vietnam’s laws with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) including the law on health insurance that should cover free of charge assistive devices for persons with severe disabilities. He also mentioned that Vietnam’s disability law, which covers a broader range of topics relevant to persons with disabilities, must be revised. Ms. Duc shared that SOMSWD has drafted and adopted a results-based M&E framework of the Enabling Masterplan and will work together with ASEAN member states in using the framework to monitor and evaluate the Enabling Masterplan’s implementation. She also informed that MOLISA is planning to organize a workshop inviting relevant government agencies and DPOs to collect data for the Enabling Masterplan’s mid-term review. VTV2, a Vietnamese television channel owned and operated by the state-run VTV network, asked how to ensure the accessibility of information especially related to job opportunities. In response, Ms. Duc said that the Department of Employment must implement the Prime Minister’s Decision No. 899 on “Approval of Target Programme for Vocational Education” that contains a mandate to create jobs and ensure the recruitment information is accessible for persons with disabilities. Fourteen newspaper agencies, two TV channels and one radio station representative joined the press conference.
HILC Press Conference on the Enabling Masterplan with ASEAN Sectoral Bodies Official in Vietnam
