Feedback Mechanism and List of Issues that need to be clarified in the first report on the implementation of the international convention on the rights of persons with disabilities by the Vietnamese government

On May 11^th -13^th, 2022, in Hanoi, the United Nations Development Program in Vietnam (UNDP Viet Nam) in collaboration with ACDC organized a training workshop on "Feedback Mechanism and List of issues that need to be clarified in the first report on the implementation of the international convention on the rights of persons with disabilities by the Vietnamese government”. The event is sponsored by the Embassy of Norway in Vietnam and the Multi-Sponsorship Trust Fund for the Promotion of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities among United Nations organizations.

The program had the participation of more than 50 delegates, including Ms. Grete Lochen, Norwegian Ambassador to Vietnam; Mr. Patrick Haverman, UNDP Resident Representative in Viet Nam; Ms. Dang Huynh Mai, President of Vietnam Federation of People with Disabilities (VFD); Ms. Nguyen Thi Lan Anh, Director of ACDC; Assoc. Dr. Nguyen Hien Phuong, Vice President - Institute of Comparative Law - Hanoi Law University; international experts and representatives of organizations of and for persons with disabilities from provinces/cities across the country.

Ms. Dang Huynh Mai, President of the Vietnam Federation on Disability (VFD) shared her speech online

In the opening speech, Ms. Dang Huynh Mai, President of the Vietnam Federation on Disability (VFD) emphasized: “This training workshop will continue to train the core staff of the Organizationon how to respond effectively when it is necessary to comment on amendments to current legal regulations, and at the same time know how to write and make recommendations to support persons with disabilities in multipleareas such as: determining disability levels, participating in inclusive education, finding jobs, protecting persons with disabilities from violence, stigma, discrimination, etc. These are extremely practical and meaningful knowledge for the participants today.”

Assoc. Dr. Nguyen Hien Phuong, Deputy Director of the Institute of Comparative Law, Hanoi Law University, directly instructs participants on the process steps in the feedback mechanism

In December 2014, Vietnam ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). Persons with disabilities and their representative organizations have played an integral role in formulating and negotiating the Convention under the slogan “Nothing about us without us!”. The CRPD recognizes that this role must continue and that member countries must consult and actively include persons with disabilities in decision-making processes relevant to them. Article 33 (3) of the CRPD also requires persons with disabilities and their representative organizations to be fully involved and participate in the process of monitoring the implementation of the CRPD. This is also the central goal of the program. Therefore, during the 2 days of the activity, the key staff of the organization/group/club of persons with disabilities were trained in their capacity in giving feedback on policies for persons with disabilities to governmental agencies. At the same time, the experts in attendance also guided the delegates on how to write a submission containing the list of issues that need to be clarified in the first Country Report to the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

At the workshop, Mr. Patrick Haverman, UNDP Deputy Resident Representative in Viet Nam emphasized three main messages and expressed his hope that delegates would understand: Firstly, it is necessary to have a feedback mechanism that is accessible and integrated for persons with disabilities. Second, the submission of the List of Issues to the CRPD must represent the diverse voices of more than 6,000,000 persons with disabilities nationwide. Third, call for solidarity and close coordination of individuals and organizations to complete their processes in CRPD.

In addition, Mr. Patrick Haverman committed: “UNDP is always ready to support the efforts of the delegates. In this training session, we brought together international experts to share good practices on CRPD reporting and feedback mechanisms with participants. We hope that this sharing will be useful for the completion of the submission in particular and the monitoring of CRPD in general.”

This training workshop is part of two projects "Working together for an inclusive future - Implementing the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) through effective collaboration" and "Strengthening the implementation of international recommendations on human rights for Vietnam” by UNDP Viet Nam. Via activities, the project is expected to promote the participation of persons with disabilities, ensure the effective implementation of the CRPD, and create prerequisites for the materialization of the principle of leaving no one behind.