Source document: https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1697629424985.pdf (Australia)
INQUIRY INTO AUSTRALIA’S AID PROGRAM SUBMISSION FROM UN AGENCIES IN VIET NAM (July 2018) The submission herewith includes contributions from the International Labour Organization (ILO), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), and the World Health Organization (WHO).
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has prepared and submitted a response through the Canberra Office, and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has submitted a contribution separately.
For further inquiries, please contact the UN in Viet Nam Resident Coordinator’s Office: rco.vn@one.un.org Inquiry into the strategic effectiveness and outcomes of Australia's aid program in the Indo-Pacific and its role insupporting Australia’s regional interestsSubmission 71 - Supplementary Submission International Labour Organization (ILO) Australia’s Aid Programme has been making significant contributions to the goal of addressing the challenges of labour migration, decent work deficits, and achieving decent employment and protection of migrant workers across the Asia region, including Viet Nam.
Since the 1980s, labour migration has been actively promoted by the Government of Viet Nam as a means of employment creation and poverty reduction.

The number of Vietnamese migrant workers working abroad has been significantly increased over the last decades, and women migrant workers account for 39% of the total of 134,751 migrant workers, who went abroad in 2017.
However, Vietnamese migrant workers have faced many risks and vulnerabilities such as irregular migration, inadequate awareness of the risks involved in migration, and limited understanding among migrant workers of their rights at work and how to protect those rights.

During 2010-2015, the first phase of the TRIANGLE project helped to significantly reduce the exploitation of migrant workers.
In the six participating countries (Cambodia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand and Viet Nam), the project aimed to strengthen the formulation and implementation of recruitment and labour protection policies and practices in the GMS to ensure safer migration that results in decent work.
During 2015-2025, TRIANGLE in ASEAN – a unique partnership between the DFAT, the Global Affairs Canada (GAC), and the ILO – is aiming to enhance the contribution of labour migration to stable and inclusive growth and development in the ASEAN region through more equitable distribution of benefits.
The TRIANGLE in ASEAN also has three cross-cutting themes that inform the implementation of activities: • Women’s empowerment and gender equality • Private sector engagement • Communications, advocacy and visibility Since 2011, the Australian Aid Programme support through TRIANGLE in ASEAN supporting the delivery of services directly to men and women migrant workers and their communities through a network of five Migrant Worker Resource Centres (MRCs) established.
These MRCs are implemented in partnership with government institutions and provide a variety of services in countries of origin and destination tailored to the target population.

Over the past seven years, these MRCs have become trusted community services and will become institutionalised over the life of TRIANGLE in ASEAN, building an environment that enables informed migration choices and increases positive and inclusive migration experiences.
33,133 migrant workers and their families, including 11,596 women, received counselling and legal assistance to protect their rights on safe migration through these MRCs.
DFAT’s assistance also enabled ILO to support Viet Nam in the Code of Conduct for the recruitment agencies (known as the CoC-VN) after 6 years of implementation and the recent launch of the CoC-VN 2018, which showed a strong support from recruitment agencies for their continued commitment to better ensure compliance with national law and move towards the realisation of international labour standards and best practices, especially those framed by international standards and best practices, especially Private Employment Agencies Convention, 1 Inquiry into the strategic effectiveness and outcomes of Australia's aid program in the Indo-Pacific and its role insupporting Australia’s regional interestsSubmission 71 - Supplementary Submission 1997 (No.
181) to better address non-discrimination, as well as the Domestic Workers Convention, 2011 (No.

189) to acknowledge and better protect migrant domestic workers.

As an active national partner of TRIANGLE in ASEAN, VAMAS is also committed to the principles of social dialogue by expansion of participation in the CoC-VN’s monitoring and evaluation to include greater involvement from the VGCL, MOLISA Gender Equity Department and migrant workers themselves.
This new initiative focuses more on supporting recruitment agencies to reduce the fees charged to migrant workers especially through making cost transparent in advertisement, in the contracts, pre-departure training.

That helps create a new monitoring tool that demonstrates transparency that is increasingly being demanded by employers in global supply chains.
The TRIANGLE in ASEAN programme is one of the most important development cooperation projects in the labour migration area and has made significant contributions to the realization of the ILO and Viet Nam decent work country programme (DWCP) during 2012-2016 and the on-going DWCP for 2017-2021.
DFAT’s assistance enabled ILO to strengthen labour protection policies for men and women migrant workers in Vietnam through support for tripartite consultations, technical assistance to the Government and conducting research studies to increase the evidence base as well as through capacity development for the authorities and trade unions where it was needed most both at central and provincial levels.
2 Inquiry into the strategic effectiveness and outcomes of Australia's aid program in the Indo-Pacific and its role insupporting Australia’s regional interestsSubmission 71 - Supplementary Submission United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Violence against women and girls (VAWG) is a serious human rights violation and has harmful socio-economic consequences.
Although Viet Nam has made important progress in its efforts to address VAWG and promote gender equality targets under Millennium Development Goal 3, including strengthening the national legal framework for gender equality and women’s empowerment, VAWG remains common with high prevalence and weakly addressed.

In 2010, UNFPA together with the World Health Organization (WHO) jointly supported the Government of Viet Nam to undertake the first National Study on Domestic Violence against Women.
The survey findings showed a national situation in which close to 60 per cent of ever- married women aged 18-60 experienced some forms of violence (physical, sexual and/or emotional) at least once in their lifetimes by their intimate partners (mainly current or former husbands), and of those, 87 per cent never sought help from any formal service or authority.
The survey results have then been used by both the Government and civil society organizations in putting VAWG on the political agenda for discussion and action in Viet Nam, including the incorporation of VAWG indicators in National Strategy of Gender Equality for 2011-2020 and the National Action Plan on Domestic Violence Prevention and Control up to 2020.
The results have also informed what was originally a UNFPA initiative, the “Stop Violence against Women” campaign, and is now an annual mainstay that unites government, civil society and development partners in the struggle against VAWG in Viet Nam.
After nearly ten years since the first study, there is a strong need from the Government to have updated data on VAWG in order to measure changes in the VAWG situation, identify sustained gaps and challenges for the Government to address as well as monitor Sustainable Development Goal indicators regarding VAWG in the country.
Australia’s Aid Programme has well responded to this need through its timely assistance for the second National Study on Violence against Women and Girls (VAWG), expected to be completed by mid-2019.

This second study will provide a reliable national database to inform effective response to address bottlenecks and emerging issues of VAWG.
By comparison, the second study is broader than the first as it seeks to explore various economic and social consequences of VAWG, including the economic costs of violence and the linkage between violence and women’s economic empowerment.

In addition, VAWG will be explored beyond domestic violence (which was the focus of the first study) to include its manifestations in other settings such as school, community, and workplace.
Australia’s Aids Programme’s contribution for the study is particularly important in the context where development funding from traditional donors for Viet Nam is substantially cut or reduced as the direct result of difficulties in the global financial situation, and also as Viet Nam has become a middle-income country (MIC) since 2010, thus not being a focus country to receive ODA.
Furthermore, the contribution is now going beyond Viet Nam as the study will not only inform the Vietnamese Government for policy development, programming and monitoring on SDG 5.2 (Eliminate all forms of VAWG in public and private spheres, including trafficking and sexual and other types of exploitation) but also contribute to the measurement of the prevalence of VAWG 3 Inquiry into the strategic effectiveness and outcomes of Australia's aid program in the Indo-Pacific and its role insupporting Australia’s regional interestsSubmission 71 - Supplementary Submission and common understanding of its various dimensions in the Asia-Pacific region.
This contribution assures a linkage of this study with the regional project on “kNOwVAWdata” funded by DFAT to UNFPA in the Asia and Pacific (UNFPA-APRO).

As planned, the Economic and Development Cooperation Unit of the Australian Embassy in Viet Nam will be involved in all stages of the study.
In addition, because the elimination of VAWG is part of the five-year development cooperation programme between Viet Nam and Australia, data and findings of the study will be utilized for planning, monitoring and evaluation of this programme, particularly for the interventions at the two target provinces of Lao Cai and Son La in the northern part of the country.
Recommendations When the results of the study are available (mid-2019), it is critical to have a well-designed plan to translate the data into concrete policy development and programming.

Follow-up actions on data utilization are therefore very necessary.

Immediate actions can be a series of advocacy and public awareness raising efforts at both national and local levels for maximizing the use of data to inform policies and programmes.

In-depth analyses on the most critical VAWG issues are also desirable.
It is therefore strongly recommended that DFAT will extend its partnership with UNFPA in these areas as it will further advance the national efforts of preventing VAWG in the country.
4 Inquiry into the strategic effectiveness and outcomes of Australia's aid program in the Indo-Pacific and its role insupporting Australia’s regional interestsSubmission 71 - Supplementary Submission United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) Australia is a longstanding advocate for gender equality and women’s empowerment on both a domestic and an international scale.
Australia has been a key partner, politically and financially, since UN Women’s establishment globally.

The Government of Australia is also a strong supporter of the Australian National Committee for UN Women.

UN Women and Australia share a fundamental commitment to gender equality and women’s empowerment.
UN Women’s mandate and current priorities complement Australia’s Foreign Aid Policy in Viet Nam, particularly those reflected in the Australia in Vietnam Gender Equality Strategy 2016-2020 focusing on enhancing women’s voice in decision-making and leadership; promoting women’s economic empowerment, and; ending violence against women and girls.

Gender equality in Viet Nam Viet Nam has made significant progress in the past decade in establishing a legal and policy framework for Gender Equality.
Efforts have been made to mainstream gender equality in legislation through the Social Affairs Committee of the National Assembly and the Ministry of Justice.

Nevertheless, patriarchal attitudes and deep-rooted gender stereotypes that privilege men over women remain and are held by political leaders and law makers, media institutions and the general public, and encourage continuation of laws and practices that discriminate against women and accept the status quo.
High prevalence of, and impunity toward, violence against women and girls (VAWG), is a manifestation of such harmful social norms.

VAWG in schools, workplace and public spaces is also a serious problem, although not yet fully acknowledged.

Availability of remedies, coordinated services and sanctions to respond to VAWG, as well as efforts to prevent VAWG comprehensively are yet insufficient despite the Law on Prevention and Control of DV adopted in 2007.
Services face limited funding and interventions are reported as intermittent pilots that are not rolled out nation-wide.

As a result of uncoordinated division of responsibilities among line ministries, the causes of, as well as links between, various forms of VAWG continue to be overlooked at the national level.

In the economic sphere, despite global integration of the Vietnamese economy leading to growth in job opportunities for women, decent work is not yet a reality for most.
Wage employment accounts for only around 30% of the total female labour force, in comparison with 40% of men.

Even for women involved in the formal economy, systemic inequalities continue to make women vulnerable to economic shocks.
Direct discrimination against women in formal employment such as the different retirement ages between women and men or discriminatory practices by employers based on maternity and pregnancy remain unresolved, and the Global Gender Gap Index Report suggests that the wage gap between women and men has been increasing, contrary to the global trend.
In 2014, 49% of women lacked the labour contracts compared to 36% of men, and in the informal sector, women account for 69% of all own-account and unpaid family workers which are classified as the most vulnerable section of the workforce.

The concentration of women in the informal sector means lower wages, lower skills levels, no social insurance coverage, and limited access to skill development services and training than men do.
Women’s burden of unpaid and 5 Inquiry into the strategic effectiveness and outcomes of Australia's aid program in the Indo-Pacific and its role insupporting Australia’s regional interestsSubmission 71 - Supplementary Submission under-valued care work that hold them back from productive work is a particular concern, including in the context of an ageing society where women’s responsibilities for care work will increase without adequate public policies and investment in social care.
Cooperation between UN Women Viet Nam and Australia Based on national demand and UN Women’s triple mandate of normative support, coordination and operational functions, UN Women Viet Nam focuses on achieving two results areas under the office strategy for the period 2017-2021: (i) Remove structural barriers that inhibit women’s economic empowerment and resilience to economic shifts, disasters and climate change; and (ii) End discrimination and violence against women and girls.
The strategic vision of the office is well aligned with Australia’s aid program and the Australia in Vietnam Gender Equality Strategy 2016- 2020.

UN Women in Viet Nam values the good working relationship it has with Australia, particularly in the areas of women’s economic empowerment and ending violence against women as described below.

1.
1.

Women’s Economic Empowerment UN Women is grateful for the contribution of Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Government of Australia to the partnership with UN Women to promote the economic empowerment of Vietnamese women through research to strengthen the evidence-base for policy change and building institutional capacity of stakeholders to promote better economic opportunities for women.
One ongoing technical cooperation since 2017 is for the gender mainstreaming in the Labour Code revision led by the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MOLISA).

From programme design, implementation, monitoring to advocacy work, UN Women and Australian DFAT together with Australia’s Investing in Women initiative have maintained close collaboration and jointly provided technical assistance to MOLISA.
The quality of the technical advice was highly appreciated by MOLISA as well as other key stakeholders in the Labour Code revision, and the partnership resulted in a well drafted Gender Impact Assessment report of the policy issues for the Labour Code revision.

Based on the outcome of the Gender Impact Assessment, UN Women and Australia are continuing to support MOLISA for additional areas of work to further support the pro-gender equality changes in the upcoming Labour Code revision.
Leveraging UN Women’s role as the Secretariat to the Informal Ambassadors and Heads of Agencies Gender Policy Coordination Group, the gender issues and opportunities identified through the technical cooperation directly contributed to the Groups’ advocacy for the Labour Code revision in which the Ambassador of Australia to Viet Nam played a key role.
During 2013 and 2016, UN Women implemented the project “Gender Policy and Program Partnership in the Mekong sub-region 2013 – 2016” supported by Australian DFAT.

Under the framework of this partnership between UN Women and Australia, rich evidence that supports advocacy for greater consideration for gender equality in economic and social protection policy making was produced and widely disseminated.
We are particularly proud with the report “Towards gender equality in Viet Nam: Making inclusive growth work for women”.
It provides a comprehensive gender-disaggregated statistical picture of selected economic sectors and highlights the unequal distribution of productive resources across different groups of women and 6 Inquiry into the strategic effectiveness and outcomes of Australia's aid program in the Indo-Pacific and its role insupporting Australia’s regional interestsSubmission 71 - Supplementary Submission men, persisting gender segmentation in the labour market, and vulnerability of female workers.
It is an up-to-date source of information for development partners, researchers and NGOs regarding women and the economy, and provides important policy recommendations including for the ongoing Labour Code revision.

2.

Ending Violence Against Women and Girls Ensuring women and girls live a life free of violence is a shared priority for Australia and UN Women.
Australia has provided ongoing support for several global, regional and country-level initiatives that support governments to implement legal frameworks to end violence against women, work with community to change social norms in prevention of violence again women and work in coordination with civil society to increase access to essential services for survivors of violence.

In Viet Nam, Australia has contributed to UN Women programmes on ending violence against women and girls.
Under the regional programme “Stepping Up Solutions to Eliminate Violence against Women and Girls in Asia and the Pacific (2017-2020)”, Australia’s funding has contributed to the prevention of violence against women and girls through the development and implementation of policies on the prevention of violence against women and girls, building successful evidence based prevention models through school and community based pilot projects and the implementation of advocacy campaigns including youth and men engagement in promoting positive social norms change towards gender equality.
Australia has also provided funding for The United Nations Joint Global Programme on Essential Services for Women and Girls Subject to Violence (Essential Services Package).

Viet Nam is one of ten countries globally which has been chosen to pilot the Essential Services Package, which aims to provide greater access to a coordinated set of high-quality and essential multi-sectoral services for women and girls subject to violence.
Implementation of the Essential Services Package involves the inter-agency cooperation of UN Women, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the World Health Organization (WHO), and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

The programme is being piloted in Viet Nam as it is a middle-income country, and research has shown there is space to enhance the delivery of essential services provided by the health, social services, police and justice sectors.
Global delivery guidelines for the Essential Services Package are being contextualized and adapted to the Vietnamese context, and UN Women is leading the inter-agency coordination of the programme at the country level.

In conclusion, UN Women Viet Nam looks forward to continuing our collaboration with Australia’s aid program, including by technical cooperation, joint programming and joint advocacy towards the realization of gender equality in Viet Nam.
7 Inquiry into the strategic effectiveness and outcomes of Australia's aid program in the Indo-Pacific and its role insupporting Australia’s regional interestsSubmission 71 - Supplementary Submission United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Viet Nam Context 1.

Since the mid-1980s and the Doi Moi reforms, Viet Nam’s economic growth has propelled the country to lower middle-income status by increasing revenues and halving poverty.
However, the dynamic economy can hide a widening gap for the country’s 26 million children with serious effects on children’s nutrition, health, education and protection.

More children are vulnerable and face difficulties in accessing services and support.

This situation prevents those disadvantaged children from living their lives to the full and contributing to Viet Nam’s future.

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2.

As Viet Nam maintains its socio-economic development and middle-income country (MIC) status (resulting in shrinking ODA), the government requires policies that are relevant to the needs of children.

The implementation of such policies needs to be more effective to address inequities affecting children and laws that fully comply with human and children’s rights.

Integrated services reaching the most vulnerable children also need to be of better quality and making use of innovation.
Strategic partnerships can also boost achievements for a more inclusive society and sustain the economic prosperity of the past three decades.

3.

Although the country has lifted more than 30 million people out of poverty, evidence shows that this has not benefitted everyone in the country, particularly disadvantaged children.

In fact, poverty still tends to increase among the disadvantaged groups, especially for ethnic minorities, people with disabilities.
Violence against children persists, yet there are extremely limited quality child protection services and social work is yet to be recognised as a vital profession.

Education for marginalized children is still frequently deficient and they remain at risk from malnutrition, poor sanitation and a lack of safe drinking water.

Gender equality concerns such as child marriage among ethnic minority girls and boys and teenage pregnancy must be tackled.
While migration brings economic opportunities, children of migrant workers are faced with challenges to access social services in urban centres, increasing their vulnerability.

4.

Viet Nam remains one of the countries most affected by climate change.

Extreme weather happens more often and is more intense.

When a natural disaster strikes, children are often impacted heavily and particularly those already living close to the vulnerability threshold.
The effects of extreme weather are compounded by environmental degradation.

For many people who live in disaster prone regions and who are already living in poverty, a strong typhoon and an extended drought is often too much for them to cope with.

UNICEF recognises that humanitarian responses should be connected to national development priorities to maximise the positive impact of emergency intervention.
Whilst as a MIC Viet Nam’s emergency humanitarian response is primarily implemented by national partners, UNICEF works to improve the government’s ability to reduce the risks, plan for natural and other disasters, and ensure that vulnerable populations are better prepared to withstand climate change shocks.

Building resilience to these shocks within families and communities is paramount in this context.

5.
5.

Foreign direct investments and trade are important for Viet Nam’s development, but it’s unlikely that those measures alone will succeed in improving the lives of the most marginalized people if not accompanied by progressive policies, robust budget allocation and adequate human resources to address inequities.

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6.

To address these issues and work towards a more equitable society, UNICEF’s efforts focus on having more public investments for children as a key strategy to achieve national 8 Inquiry into the strategic effectiveness and outcomes of Australia's aid program in the Indo-Pacific and its role insupporting Australia’s regional interestsSubmission 71 - Supplementary Submission development, which is reflected in policies and decisions that the government takes in all spheres and at all levels of society.
At the same time, in Viet Nam’s dynamic economy, businesses have a significant impact on children, directly and indirectly.

UNICEF encourages businesses to strengthen their knowledge, commitment and capacities to respect and support children’s rights.

UNICEF also seeks new opportunities for private-sector fund-raising and engaging with the government and civil society to increase spending on priorities for children.

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7.

The critical point is that Viet Nam, although a MIC, requires continued support from bilateral and multilateral organisations, deployed in an effective manner, that can support the country to overcome its unfinished development agenda that does not dissipate simply with economic growth.

Indeed, the Australian Government’s specific support to Viet Nam through UNICEF, detailed below, is one example of how such assistance can contribute to significant development outcomes.
Specific support from the Australian Government through UNICEF Viet Nam 8.

In April 2011, UNICEF and the Australian Government developed a project to support children with disabilities called The Rights, Education and Protection project (REAP I, 2011-2015).

REAP I was designed to advance the fulfilment of the rights of children with disabilities through enhanced, inclusive education and child protection systems.
The REAP I objectives were to strengthen UNICEF capacities and coherence in its work on disability and inclusive development; to promote and support implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD); and to develop and implement evidence-based good practice, policy guidance and tools.

9.

Through REAP I, UNICEF was able to leverage a stronger focus on children with disabilities globally in humanitarian responses in Syria, Philippines, Nepal and during the Ebola Crisis.
It also significantly contributed to strengthened UNICEF technical capacities and helped improve the coherence of UNICEF’s work on disability inclusive development, at global, regional and country levels.

10.

Building on this success, REAP II was developed which aims “to promote inclusive development approaches which fulfil the rights of children with disabilities” (2015-2019) focused on East Asia and Pacific region.
Viet Nam is one of the selected countries together with Lao PDR, Myanmar, Papua New Guinea, and the Pacific Multi-Country Office.

With about 8 million persons with disabilities Viet Nam is among countries with a high number of persons with disabilities in the region.
Girls and boys with disabilities are among the most vulnerable group suffering from serious discrimination, limited access to early diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation and inclusive education resulting in increased risks to development delays.

11.

Support from the REAP II project has played a significant role in realising rights of children with disabilities.
Key achievements to date include an improved policy framework and enabling environment to access social assistance and basic services among children with disabilities; reliable data and evidence on children with disabilities and the barriers they face has been collected and used to promote inclusive development, and; improved capacity of civil society organisations (CSOs) and disabled people’s organisations (DPOs) in monitoring and reporting on the rights of people and children with disabilities.
Through REAP II, UNICEF Viet Nam and the Australian Government have been recognised as trusted partners in advancing the promotion and protection of the rights of children and persons with disabilities in Viet Nam.

9 Inquiry into the strategic effectiveness and outcomes of Australia's aid program in the Indo-Pacific and its role insupporting Australia’s regional interestsSubmission 71 - Supplementary Submission 12.
Alongside these achievements, continued efforts are needed to enhance realisation of human rights of girls and boys with disabilities, especially within the current country context.

The Government of Australia would do well to consider continued support to build the capacity of emerging DPOs, who play a vital role in realising and advocating for the rights of people and children with disabilities, including provision of social services, self-representation, and monitoring of policy implementation.
A further recommendation would be to diversify and scale-up support to innovations for addressing challenges faced by children including children with disabilities.
10 Inquiry into the strategic effectiveness and outcomes of Australia's aid program in the Indo-Pacific and its role insupporting Australia’s regional interestsSubmission 71 - Supplementary Submission World Health Organization (WHO) Overview The World Health Organization (WHO) in Viet Nam welcomes the opportunity to share on health activities implementation and outcomes in Viet Nam under Australia’s Aid.
As a specialized agency of the United Nations with primary role to direct and coordinate international health within the United Nations system, WHO is working closely with other UN agencies and development partners to attain health objectives.
Australia has been an active partner of WHO, supporting the WHO’s work, and shares commitment by supporting the implementation of broad activities under the main areas of WHO’s works: Health systems; Communicable diseases, preparedness, surveillance and response; and Non-communicable health through the life- course.
WHO looks forward to strengthening the partnership and commitment with Australia to continue support the Government of Viet Nam to address strategic and priority health issues to achieve the health-related targets laid out in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Over the past 8 years (2010 – 2018), through Australia’s ongoing support to WHO’s Headquarter, Regional and country offices, WHO Viet Nam has implemented USD 3.4 million to support the Government of Viet Nam to implement the country strategic and priority health activities including: 1.
Health system strengthening During 2009 to 2010, Australia’s aid funds supported a policy dialogue between the Government and development partners, to have a more a coherent approach in providing assistance in health policy and systems development.

Since 2007, the MoH and development partners agreed that there is a need for an annual sector-review process, which is open to all relevant stakeholders, to jointly assess progress and determine priorities in the health sector.
This Joint Annual Health Review (JAHR) process is also being used as an instrument to hold the health sector accountable, for meeting the goals set out in annual plans and to facilitate development coordination and effectiveness.
Australia’s aid funds assisted WHO, through its expert in the health systems development team, to provide technical advice to the Department of Planning and Finance within the MoH, to lead and implement the JAHR process during 2009-2010, specifically in publication of the JAHR 2010 report.1 This report is the first JAHR that covers all six major components of Vietnam’s health system, assessing the situation and recommending solutions for priority issues for all six components - with health service delivery being the focal point where inputs from human resources for health, health financing, health information systems, medical products and technologies, and health system governance meet.
1 The JAHR 2010 report can be accessed at: http://jahr.org.vn/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=119:jahr-2010&catid=47:bao-cao-da-xay- dung&Itemid=54&lang=en&phpMyAdmin=5b051da883f5a46f0982cec60527c597 11 Inquiry into the strategic effectiveness and outcomes of Australia's aid program in the Indo-Pacific and its role insupporting Australia’s regional interestsSubmission 71 - Supplementary Submission 2.
Communicable diseases, preparedness, surveillance and response Communicable disease control among children: In 2011, Australia’s aid supported assessments of the burden and risk of acute diarrhoea (including knowledge, attitudes and practice) among children under 5, in remote provinces in the Central Highlands of Viet Nam.

These activities also focused on helping determine the causative agents of diarrhoea outbreaks in childcare centres and kindergartens in different provinces in Viet Nam.
Hand, foot and mouth disease (HFM) is a deadly viral disease that predominantly affects children under 5 years of age.

In the South of Viet Nam, through WHO, Australia’s aid has supported surveillance, response and training activities on HFM in 2011, as well as risk assessments on measles outbreaks in 2014.
Australia’s aid, through WHO, has assisted in strengthening the surveillance and response capacity of Viet Nam for emerging infectious diseases, as well as helping to fulfil the Government’s commitments to meet International Health Regulations (2005) core capacity requirements.

These activities have included development of a national Action Plan for Emerging Infectious Diseases and Public Health Emergency Preparedness and Response for 2012-16.
In 2013, capacity building and training was conducted, on management of patients with severe influenza/highly pathogenic avian influenza (H5N1, H1N1, H7N9), through the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases.

Public health laboratory staff were trained in molecular analysis techniques, and best practices for infection prevention and control were shared among hospital staff in 2017.
Mosquito (vector) borne diseases were addressed through evaluations of the Government’s response to dengue outbreaks in Hanoi in 2017, and through the containment of artemisinin resistant malaria parasites in Viet Nam in 2012-13.

Mobile malaria workers were supported to increase access, of migrant populations and ethnic minority groups, to malaria interventions and to help distribute long lasting insecticide treated nets.
At the national health policy level, Australia’s aid, through WHO, helped to strengthen national health policies and strategies in communicable disease control, by supporting the MoH to develop a National Strategy on Preventive Medicine 2014-17.

This included developing national guidelines on the regulatory roles, functions and organization of Provincial Centers for Disease Control, which is the foundation for integrated service delivery for communicable diseases, at the provincial level.
Standards and criteria were also developed for equipment, human resources and staff competencies.

Other national policies included support for the development of the Field Epidemiology Training Programme (FETP) in Viet Nam in 2013 and the National Action Plan for Natural Disaster Preparedness and Control 2015-2020.
National level health promotion and advocacy were conducted including, commemoration of National Hand Hygiene Day in 2014, World Rabies Day in 2017 and the organization of the National Scientific Conference on Research on Public Health for communicable diseases in Viet Nam in 2017.

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3.

Non-communicable diseases and health through the life course Non-communicable diseases (NCDs), including heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes and chronic lung disease, and mental health conditions - together with violence and injuries - are collectively responsible for more than 70% of all deaths worldwide.
In Viet Nam, Australia’s aid programme has been providing support, through WHO, to strengthen non-communicable disease (NCD) prevention and control in Viet Nam, including the following key activities: 12 Inquiry into the strategic effectiveness and outcomes of Australia's aid program in the Indo-Pacific and its role insupporting Australia’s regional interestsSubmission 71 - Supplementary Submission Baseline survey for evaluating effectiveness of communication for behavioral impact (COMBI) intervention for salt reduction in Phu Tho province: Excessive salt consumption is an important cause of hypertension - the leading risk factor for death.
In Viet Nam, according to national STEPS survey in 2015, the average salt consumption was 9.4 g/person/day, almost double the WHO recommendation of less than 5 g/person/day.

In addition, most of salt consumption in Viet Nam is salt added in households when cooking or eating at the table.

Because of this, communication to change people’s behaviors is critical.
During July to September 2012, Australia’s aid, through WHO, supported the government in piloting an intervention on salt intake reduction in 8 communes with approximately 80,000 people in Viet Tri city, Phu Tho province.

The intervention applied COMBI (Communication for Behavioral Impact) and included four components: communication on local mass media, at communities, schools and at commune health stations.

Funds provided by Australia’ aid programme, were used in conducting the baseline survey.
The results were used to evaluate the intervention.

This evaluation was published in a peer review journal.

Developing national multisectoral strategy for NCD prevention and control 2013-2020: The process of development of the National strategy for NCD prevention and control included several consultations and meetings.

One of the consultation workshops was organized by the MoH in March-April 2013, with funding support from Australia’s aid programme.
The outputs from the workshop were for completing the National NCD Strategy that was approved by Prime Minister in 2015.

Blindness prevention and control: During 2014-2015, Australia’s aid, through WHO has supported MoH and Viet Nam National Institution on Ophthalmology, to conduct a National Survey called Rapid Assessment Avoidable Blindness in Viet Nam RAAB 2015.
The survey was conducted in 14 selected provinces in Viet Nam with a sample size of 2000 people, aged 50 and above, randomly selected in each province and applying the WHO standard method for RAAB.

This was a very important survey as it provided vital information on the situation of visual impairment and blindness, the causes of blindness, the coverage of cataract surgery (leading cause of visual impairment) and the barriers to receiving surgery, in different areas.
This information was provided in time for the development and issuance of the National Strategy for Blindness Prevention and Control until 2020 with vision to 2030.

The RAAB 2015 dissemination workshop was conducted to share results with the public and policy makers.

Printed copies of the reports in English and Vietnamese were sent to all relevant partners from center to provincial levels.

The quality of cataract surgery is an important issue in eye care.
With WHO technical and Australia’s aid, the MoH established an expert team, including leading experts on ophthalmology, to review the current regulation on diagnosis and treatment of cataracts and to develop the quality standard guidelines on diagnosis and treatment of cataracts.

A team of experts on cataract surgery was invited from Malaysia to Viet Nam, to provide technical support.
In addition to the above activities, several research activities have been undertaken with financial support from funding provided by Australia’s aid.

These include research to assess capacity of the eye care system, the assessment of diabetes and diabetes retinopathy management system TADDS in Viet Nam 2014, Eye care Services Assessment ECSAT 2015 and Assessment of vision Rehabilitation Services (WHO_TARS) 2015.
13 Inquiry into the strategic effectiveness and outcomes of Australia's aid program in the Indo-Pacific and its role insupporting Australia’s regional interestsSubmission 71 - Supplementary Submission Water Safety Plan and Sanitation: Australia is one of the main financial and technical supporters to WHO activities in Viet Nam on water and sanitation.
From 2010, with support from Australia’s aid, the water supply sector in Viet Nam, has introduced and applied a new approach known as the Water Safety Plan, or the risk management approach through Water Safety Plan.

This programme is conducted by relevant stakeholders with technical support from WHO.
Australia’s aid has contributed to changes in the mindset of the water supply sector in terms of improvement to policy, regulation, standards in water quality and protection of public health from water-borne diseases, through a comprehensive process and system of risk management.
The program, funded by Australia’s aid, has helped Ministry of Construction to issue Decree number eight, on water safety plan implementation in urban areas in 2012, providing a legal basis for water suppliers to phase in water safety plan as a requirement.

As a result of the program, the Prime Minister approved the National Programme for Water Safety for 2016-2020, in August 2016, requiring all water supply sectors to implement Water Safety Plan.
Australia’s aid funds also provided support to strengthen the capacity of water suppliers, water regulators and relevant management agencies through; trainings, workshops and research trips to other countries such as Australia, Singapore and Malaysia.
Furthermore, Australia’s aid funds supported in creating a system for sustainable implementation of Water Safety Plan in Viet Nam, including an auditing process and realistic water quality standards, as well as the foundation of a water quality surveillance system.

The programme, also helped the rural water supply sector to build models of water safety plan for replication and to integrate Household Water Treatment and Safe Storage (HWTS) into Water Safety Plan.
The achievements of the programme have contributed to the increase in access to clean water and Viet Nam’s success in achieving MDG 7 in 2015.

In addition, Australia’s aid funds have contributed to strengthening co-ordination and collaboration among relevant stakeholders including, Ministry of Construction, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and other organizations and institutions in water supply sector.
Thanks to support from Australia’s aid, for the first time in Viet Nam, the cities of Hue and Vung Tau have drinkable tap water.

This comes as a result of the Water Safety Plan programme conducted by WHO in participation with other relevant stakeholders.

Australia’s aid continues supporting Viet Nam in scaling up Water Safety Plan, focusing on rural water safety plan and water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) in healthcare facilities for 2018- 2022.
Annex: Australia’s Aid to health activities in Viet Nam, 2010-2018: Funding Source/Biennium Australia Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), Australia Grand Total 2010-2011 2012-2013 2014-2015 2016-2017 2018-2019 Grand 397,727 376,510 0 831,085 0 1,118,230 0 354,724 Total 397,727 2,680,549 0 0 0 0 0 186,000 197,375 383,375 774,237 831,085 1,118,230 540,724 197,375 3,461,651 14 Inquiry into the strategic effectiveness and outcomes of Australia's aid program in the Indo-Pacific and its role insupporting Australia’s regional interestsSubmission 71 - Supplementary Submission