The Asia Pacific Disability Forum 2014 (APDF) concluded in Hanoi on November 28 after the two days of sitting.
Asia
Pacific Disability Forum wraps up
The Asia
Pacific Disability Forum 2014 (APDF) concluded in Hanoi on November 28 after
the two days of sitting.
The forum heard the Hanoi Statement,
which showed Vietnam and other Asian Pacific countries’ commitment to helping
the people with disabilities to ensure their rights prescribed in the United
Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
The Vietnamese National Assembly on
the same day passed a resolution ratifying the Convention.
Ha Dinh Bon, Head of the Legislation
Department under the Ministry of Labour, War Invalids and Social Affairs,
stressed the adoption reflected Vietnam’s strong commitment to protecting the
people with disabilities as well as promoting the development to bring more
benefits to them.
It is also a legal foundation to
affirm Vietnam’s view on issues relating to disabled people and human right in
general, Bon said.
Speaking at the closing session,
Joakim Parker, Chief Representative of the United States Agency for
International Development (USAID) in Vietnam said his agency has supported the
network of medical workers to better the quality of orthopedic services and
expand the application of therapeutic methods to more disabled people in
Vietnam, which aim to improve their ability.
USAID will continue to provide
support for Vietnam to help build polices related to the people with
disabilities, Parker added.
With two plenary sessions, the forum
created a platform for the people with disabilities to share a wide range of
topics from policy building, social welfare, and vocational training to social
integration and climate change impact.
In the frame work of the event, a
number of margin activities were organised such as a photo exhibition, a gala
dinner and a walking tour of Hanoi in response to the International Day of
Persons with Disabilities (December 3).
On the occasion, donors presented 25
scholarships to young people with disabilities nationwide.
According to the United Nations,
around 15 percent of the world’s population or 1 billion people live with
disabilities.
Vietnam has more than 6.7 million
people with disabilities, accounting for 8.7 percent of the population.
(nhandan.org.vn)