The 46th Consultative Committee Meeting of the Colombo Plan (CCM46) kicked off in Hanoi on October 30. This is the first time Vietnam has hosted the Colombo Plan’s important session, which this year is being held to focus on gender equality.
At the meeting (Source:
congthuong.vn)
The two-day events brings together nearly
100 delegates from 23 member nations, representatives from the Colombo Plan
Secretariat and many of Vietnam’s ministries and agencies, as well as
observers.
In his opening speech, Minister of Labour, Invalids, and Social Affairs Dao
Ngoc Dung highlighted the importance of the meeting, which occurs every two
years, saying that the Colombo Plan’s top priority meet up aims to address
shortcomings and set out orientations for cooperation among member countries
over the next two years.
Minister Dung appreciated the valuable cooperation that the Colombo Plan has
given Vietnam,
especially in helping the country train more than 500 staff in various fields
such as drug prevention, public administration, environmental protection,
private economic development, and gender equality.
He stressed that Vietnam
has selected the topic of gender equality for this meeting because it is an
area of special concern that has been integrated into all socio-economic
development programmes of the country.
Vietnam
has achieved remarkable results in terms of gender equality measures, and is
one of the countries with the best gender equality index, ranking second in the
ASEAN region, he said.
The minister noted, however, that Vietnam still faces many challenges
such as new requirements from the Fourth Industrial Revolution, domestic
violence, violence against young girls, and women trafficking. He said it is
important to strengthen close cooperation among member countries in sharing
experiences, implementing gender equality programmes and courses, as well as
continuing programmes in drug prevention and detoxification, especially
synthetic drugs.
He emphasised Vietnam’s
increasingly active participation in managing Colombo Plan activities, such as
its successful candidacy for the position of Director of the Drug Advisory
Programme in 2009-2011, and the General Secretary of the Colombo Plan for the
2018-2022 term.
Addressing the event as Chairman of the CCM46, Deputy Foreign Minister Le Hoai
Trung highlighted some of the positive effects from the training courses
provided by the Colombo Plan to Vietnam
during its national development.
He said the meeting offers a good opportunity for member countries to
re-evaluate objectives and proposals that have been implemented in the last two
years, and map out appropriate directions for the Colombo Plan in the time to
come, towards improving its role and influence.
General Secretary of the Colombo Plan Phan Kieu Thu presented the target
programme during her term, especially those goals for the next two years.
Participants also heard the annual report on the operation of the Colombo
Plan’s Secretariat, as well as those on training and capacity building
programmes.
They also discussed and agreed on orientations and activities of the Colombo
Plan for the next two years, as well as commitments of each member country.
The Colombo Plan for Cooperative Economic and Social Development in Asia and
the Pacific was conceived at the Commonwealth Conference on Foreign Affairs
held in Colombo, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) in January 1950 and was launched on
July 1, 1951, as a cooperative venture for the economic and social advancement
of the peoples of South and Southeast Asia.
It is based on the partnership concept for self-help and mutual help in the
development process, with the focal areas being human resources development and
south-south cooperation.
With 27 official members, the Colombo Plan is a forum for discussing
development needs, sharing experience, implementing programmes for stronger
socio-economic development, and supporting less developed countries in the
region.
The Colombo Plan mainly operates through organising training courses and
helping its member nations develop human resources. It now runs four training
programmes including the Drug Advisory Programme (DAP), the Programme for
Public Administration and Environment (PPA&ENV), the Programme for Private
Sector Development (PPSD), and the Long-Term Scholarships Programme
(LTSP).
Since it officially began its membership with the organisation in 2003, Vietnam has
sent nearly 400 officials to attend training courses within the Colombo Plan’s
cooperation programmes in the fields of drug prevention, public administration,
reproductive health, and environmental protection.
Source: VNA
In the afternoon of December 17, the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism organized a summary and awarding ceremony for the Online Competition on preventing and controlling the Family Violence in 2024.
Implementing the Resolution of the 17th Provincial Party Congress to reach a health insurance coverage rate of 95% or more of the population, the Women's Union at all provincial levels has deployed the creative models and methods and effectively replicated them. These activities not only contribute to completing the social security goals, but they also spread the spirit of solidarity and sharing in the community.
Hoa Binh is carried out investment projects to upgrade three district medical centres in Lac Son and Yen Thuy districts and Hoa Binh city. The projects are funded by the central budget under the Economic and Social Recovery and Development Programme, aiming to improve healthcare services. The goal is to gradually develop a system of modern and quality district-level healthcare facilities.
To improve the cultural and spiritual life of the elderly, the associations for the elderly at various levels in Hoa Binh province have created many interesting and meaningful activities, attracting the participation of a large number of old people. These activities provide opportunities for them to improve both their physical and mental health, enabling them to live happily and healthily.
The pilot programme for sending Vietnamese workers to the Republic of Korea (RoK) for seasonal agricultural jobs continues under a collaboration between localities of the two countries, running for five years from January 1, 2022.
Staff of the Red Cross Society of Hoa Binh province were deeply moved by a meaningful and humanitarian act by Mr Vu Huu Lung, 86, in Hoa Binh city, to donate his corneas, which brought hopes to those yearning for the light. Before passing away, Lung left behind a noble wish to donate all of his organs, including his corneas, to help patients suffering from blindness and those in need of organ transplants to revive their lives.
