Vietnam and other members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) participated in the 8th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Social Welfare and Development (AMMSWD) in Cambodia on Sept 2-7 to boost cooperation in the field. Minister of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs Pham Thi Hai Chuyen led the Vietnamese delegation to the six-day event. Addressing the opening ceremony, ASEAN Secretary General Le Luong Minh highlighted the effective inter-ASEAN cooperation as well as that between the bloc and its partners, focusing on a variety of programs on poverty reduction and social welfare for the most vulnerable groups. Delegates discussed potential care provision and service reforms to support the disadvantaged and sought comments for two important documents, namely the ASEAN Declaration on Strengthening Social Protection and the ASEAN Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women and Children. Both will be submitted for consideration at the 23rd ASEAN Summit in Brunei in Oct 2013. Despite economic uncertainties, the Vietnamese government has strived to properly address policies on poverty reduction and social welfare. It spent around VND580 billion ($27.36 million) on social security policies in the first seven months of this year, according to the Ministry of Finance. (vov.vn Sept 9)
