VN joins global pledge “For every child, every right”

The Convention was initiated by Poland. Viet Nam was one of the first five signatories of the Convention in five regions namely Viet Nam (Asia-Pacific region), the Russia Federation (Eastern Europe), Sweden (Western Europe), Ghana (Africa) and Ecuador (Latin America).

President of the 74th session of the UN General Assembly Tijjani Muhammad-Bande highlighted achievements in the convention to protect children’s rights in the past 30 years. Especially, thanks to the convention, under-five mortality has fallen more than 50% and the number of malnourished children has declined by nearly half since 1990. 

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres spoke highly of global actions to realize the convention. As there are millions of children suffering from climate change, poverty, diseases and violence, he called on countries worldwide to reaffirm the implementation of the convention, and work to ensure all children live in a safe environment, live healthily, and can achieve their dreams.

UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore urged countries to honor their commitments, stressing the world needs to listen to children, support and take actions for them. 

On behalf of Viet Nam, Ambassador Dang Dinh Quy, Head of Viet Nam’s permanent mission to the UN highlighted the significance of the event, saying it offered an opportunity for all nations to enhance efforts to protect the rights of children.

Viet Nam has joined hands with the global volunteer pledge “For every child, every right” to ensure no one is left behind, and to support every child to reach their full potential, said Ambassador Quy.

Although positive results have been achieved in the past two decades, more efforts are needed to deal with challenges including conflicts, climate change, pollution, poverty, natural disasters and diseases to bring a bright future to children.

The Vietnamese diplomat also noted the essential role of education for each child, and said Viet Nam has made concerted efforts to ensure children have the chance to study, even during wartime.

To that end, the Vietnamese Government supports the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF)’s safe school environment program, aiming to raise a voice to single out children’s education rights in all cases, he added./.

By Kim Anh