ASEAN is giving due attention to social welfare and development issues in the region in order to redress inequalities and care for disadvantaged groups, Deputy Prime Minister Pham Gia Khiem said at the 6th ASEAN ministerial meeting for social welfare and development held in Hanoi on December 6.
The meeting, themed Mainstreaming Persons With Disabilities in Development: Lessons and Actions for the Future, discussed development disparities in the ASEAN community.
It issued a joint communiqué in which ministers reiterated ASEAN’s commitment to ensuring basic social standards and access to welfare services in the region.
The communiqué also re-affirmed the bloc’s commitment to an inclusive, barrier-free and rights-based society with equal opportunities for all.
Addressing the meeting, Mr. Khiem pointed the country’s practical actions towards social welfare and development through its efforts being made to ratify the United Nations (UN) Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, the UN’s Action Plan for Older Persons and the UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities.
Vietnam is developing an equitable legal framework and a favorable social environment for people with disabilities through national target programs and action plans to support them, according to an official from the Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs.-