On July 13, General Election Network for Disability Access (AGENDA) partner Hanoi Independent Living Center (HILC) in collaboration with Vietnam Federation on Disability (VFD) organized a virtual workshop for government ministries to share disabled people’s organizations (DPOs) recommendations on accessible public transportation and buildings formulated during the DPO coordination meeting on March 31. Nineteen participants attended including 12 female participants. The Ministry of Transportation, represented by Vice Director of the Transport Development and Strategy Institute (TDSI) Mr. Pham Hoai Chung and Deputy Director of Center for Urban and Rural Transport Development of TDSI Ms. Nguyen To Ha, announced that TDSI is creating a set of criteria on universally accessible transportation. The criteria will serve as a tool to evaluate the accessibility of public transportation for persons with disabilities, elderly and children. HILC’s Project Manager Ms. Nguyen Hong Ha suggested that the tool include the availability of assistive devices to support the mobilization of persons with disabilities. Mr. Chung responded that this criteria will be included and the tool will be shared with DPOs once finalized.
During the workshop, HILC and VFD also asked the representative of Vietnam to the Senior Officials Meeting on Social Welfare and Development (SOMSWD) Ms. Ha Thi Minh Duc for progress and updates on the implementation of the Enabling Masterplan. Ms. Duc, who is also the representative of Vietnam to the ASEAN Commission on the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Women and Children (ACWC), shared that SOMSWD has drafted and adopted a results-based monitoring and evaluation (M&E) framework of the Enabling Masterplan and will work together with ASEAN member states in using the framework to assess the Enabling Masterplan’s implementation. She further informed that the Ministry of Labour, Invalid, and Social Affairs (MOLISA) is planning to organize a workshop inviting relevant government agencies and DPOs to collect data for the Enabling Masterplan’s mid-term review.