Country life magazine

Then Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc attended and delivered remarks at an open debate of the UN Security Council in addressing climate-related risks to international peace and security, which was held in the form of video conference on February 23, 2021. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam for the second time assumed the role of rotating President of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) for the 2020-2021 tenure this month, thus making a new and important imprint in the process of transforming from a participant to an active and proactive UN member.

VN grows up in UN

Thirty years after Việt Nam joined the UN on September 20, 1977, the country was elected for the first time as a non-permanent member of the UNSC for the 2008-2009 tenure in the first secret ballot round in October 2017, with 183 votes of approval out of 192 General Assembly members participating in the ballot, or 96 per cent.

During its first tenure at the UNSC – the UN’s most important body in maintaining international peace and security – Việt Nam and other UNSC member states handled a large workload with more than 1,500 meetings, passed 113 Resolutions and 165 Presidential Statements and Press Statements on 50 agenda items, and dealt with complex issues regarding Kosovo, Iran’s nuclear programme, and Middle East peace, as well as those relating to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and Myanmar.

Việt Nam made active and comprehensive contributions, from delivering speeches, participating in the making of resolutions and documents, assuming the posts of Chair or Vice Chair of several subcommittees, holding the post of UNSC President in July and October 2009, chairing negotiations for the council to approve Resolution No 1889 on women, peace, and security, and providing ideas to build the council’s Annual Report in a more practical and comprehensive manner.

“Việt Nam was on the UNSC 10 years ago in the 2008-2009 tenure,” said Kamal Malhotra, UN Resident Coordinator. “It played an important role, contributing to a resolution on women, peace, and security which I think was a landmark resolution in the UNSC. Việt Nam has also been increasing its role in global peacekeeping.”

On June 7, 2019, Việt Nam was once again elected as a non-permanent member of the UNSC for the 2020-2021 tenure, with 192 votes in favour out of 193 UN member nations.

The country’s election as a UNSC non-permanent member twice in just a short period was an important milestone in it transforming from a participant to an active and proactive member.

“This was the second time over the last more than 10 years that Việt Nam has been voted as a member of the UN body with a leading role in maintaining global peace and security, proving the international community’s recognition of its improving position as well as trust in its responsible contributions to regional and international peace and security in the coming years,” said then Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc.

Promoting multilateralism, respecting international law

Joining the UNSC for the second time amid complex developments in the world, Việt Nam has effectively implemented activities relating to the UNSC, completed the heavy workload in the first year of the tenure, and created its own imprint at the UNSC.

The country has actively proposed initiatives and played a leading role in several important issues.

While holding the UNSC Presidency in January 2020, Việt Nam successfully chaired an open debate on upholding the UN Charter to maintain international peace and security, and the first-ever meeting on cooperation between the UN and ASEAN, which combined the country’s dual role as UNSC non-permanent member and ASEAN Chair in 2020, thus helping enhance ASEAN solidarity and role and strengthening connectivity between the regional bloc and the UN and the UNSC.

In that month, the council held about 30 meetings and adopted 13 decisions, including four resolutions and one decision on extending UN missions, forces and mechanisms, one Chairman Statement, five press statements, and two press releases.

Ambassador Marc Pecsteen de Buytswerve, Permanent Representative of Belgium to the UN, told the Vietnam News Agency (VNA)’s correspondents at the UN that Việt Nam had done a good job despite formidable challenges when it took up the presidency of the UNSC at the beginning of its tenure as a non-permanent member of the council.

Việt Nam really left an imprint with the open debate on the 75th anniversary of the UN Charter, particularly in the context of mounting tensions in the UN as well as in the world, he added.

As a coordinator of the ten current non-permanent members (E10), in May 2020 Việt Nam actively resumed the annual meeting mechanism, disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, between the E10 and the UN Secretary General via videoconference.

It chaired a dialogue between the E10 and the five newly-elected non-permanent members (I5) with the theme “Joining Efforts for an Effective UNSC: Best Practices and Experiences for Elected Members” and an International Conference on Women, Peace and Security.

“Việt Nam fulfilled its duties as a non-permanent UNSC member in the first year of its membership, achieved set targets, and proactively and actively contributed to UNSC operations,” said Deputy Foreign Minister Lê Hoài Trung.

The success gained in the first half of the 2020-2021 tenure is a firm foundation for Việt Nam to create more imprints in the second half and complete a successful tenure, contributing practically to maintaining regional and international peace and security and maintaining a peaceful and stable environment for national development. — VNS

Nguyễn Thuý Anh, Chairwoman of the NA Committee for Social Affairs and Permanent Vice Chairwoman of the Female NA Deputy Group speaks at the meeting. — VNA/VNS Photo

ĐÀ NẴNG — To raise the amount of female deputies to the National Assembly (NA) and all-level People’s Councils requires strong, synchronous, and effective solutions as well as political resolve and efforts from female candidates, a meeting in central Đà Nẵng City was told on Monday.

Nguyễn Thuý Anh, Chairwoman of the NA Committee for Social Affairs and Permanent Vice Chairwoman of the Female NA Deputy Group, said legal regulations require that women must account for at least 35 per cent of the total number of female candidates for deputies to the NA and all-level People’s Council.

Although the rate to the 14th NA and all-level People’s Councils for 2016-2021 was higher than in the previous tenure, it failed to reach the targeted 30 per cent.

The world average rate is currently 25.5 per cent, and Việt Nam ranked 60th globally during the 14th tenure and fifth in Southeast Asia, after Timor Leste, Singapore, the Philippines, and Laos, she said.

Anh stressed that Việt Nam attaches importance to promoting gender equality and women’s engagement in politics, noting that the country’s constitution, policies, and laws on the matter have created a legal framework for women to play a role in political activities.

Lê Thị Nguyệt, Vice Chairwoman of the Committee, praised the contributions of female deputies to the country’s development, especially on issues regarding women, children, gender equality, and social welfare.

During the 14th tenure, they actively contributed opinions on draft laws, thematic supervision reports, and Q&A sessions, she added.

A focus of the meeting was how to improve female candidates’ election campaign skills, towards the goal of having more women representatives in elected bodies. — VNS

Minister of Home Affairs Phạm Thị Thanh Trà. —VNA/VNS Photo

Phạm Thị Thanh Trà, the first female Minister of Home Affairs, speaks to Vietnam News Agency about her thoughts and feelings after her appointment

First of all, I would like to congratulate you as the first female Minister of Home Affairs. How do you feel right now?

It is a great honour but also a heavy responsibility for me after the National Assembly passed a resolution approving the Prime Minister’s proposal to appoint 12 ministers, including me.

I will make great efforts together with the ministry’s Party Committee and the ministry’s officials to boost the sector’s development and meeting the tasks set. I felt quite emotional when I became the first female minister of Home Affairs. This requires me to try my best to continue developing the sector as the previous leaders did.

As one of the two female members of the Government, what advantages and disadvantages will you have?

The first advantage is that the Resolution of the Party’s XIII Congress has clearly defined the goals, directions and tasks to develop the country and the sector.

I think the directions were very clear, like the road has been opened ahead. The thing that I have to do is carry on that road in the correct way to reach the destination.

Another advantage is the previous leaders of the sector have created a strong foundation for future development.

As a woman, I will definitely receive the attention, support and encouragement from other women when doing my job.

There is also support from other officials and staff of the sector. All of this will give me motivation and confidence to overcome any disadvantages and complete the assigned tasks.

Being the head of a multi-sectoral ministry, what priorities do you set for yourself?

The Ministry of Home Affairs is a multi-sectoral ministry with difficult and sensitive work. There will be pressure but I am ready to tackle it.

When I served as Deputy Minister of Home Affairs since October 2020, my predecessor Lê Vĩnh Tân had shared and helped me a lot in handling my tasks. Tân is very enthusiastic and dedicated to his work. He has contributed much to the sector’s development over the past five years.

The future tasks of the sector are very challenging. The first thing to do is to thoroughly grasp the spirit of the Resolution of the XIII Congress of the Party and implement the tasks synchronously.

The first task is focusing on consulting to improve the institution and build a State administration that is democratic, modern, professional, disciplined, public and transparent to serve the people and achieve our goals.

The second task is promoting administrative reform to make a breakthrough for the period of 2021-26 in order to fix shortcomings and create motivation for the country’s development.

The third is streamlining administrative apparatus, including re-arranging units at district and commune levels. Previously, the ministry made initial steps and got some results. Now, it is the stage of implementing very drastically on this matter.

The fourth is downsizing the workforce of the sector, paying attention to discovering, fostering and appreciating talented people. This is also one of the contents specifically stated by the Resolution of the XIII Congress of the Party so that we could concentrate on building a team of civil servants that are professional, responsible, dynamic and people-centred.

The final task is perfecting decentralisation mechanisms in State management in every aspect of the sector, identifying clearly functions of each unit, responsibility of each officer and member of staff; as well as conducting more inspections to improve the quality and efficiency of State management.

You already worked as the head of a province for a long time, how will you apply your experiences in the role of a minister?

I have experience in many fields, including home affairs, after working as a female head of a province for many years. I also have accumulated experience in leadership and management.

When I held the position of Secretary of Yên Bái Province’s Party Committee, the province strongly implemented five aspects related to home affairs, especially the success in arranging organisational apparatus, administrative reform and decentralisation mechanism.

These are good experiences and valuable lessons to help me perform well as the head of the ministry. — VNS

A student seeks a doctors’ consultation at the National Children’s Hospital after exposure to harmful content on the internet. Photo baotintuc.vn

HÀ NỘI – Doctors and parents are concerned about the impact videos with harmful content are having on children.

H, a Hanoian, recently noticed a change in the mental health of her 15-year-old daughter. She became quiet and preferred using her phone to communicating with anyone. Her studies were also negatively impacted.

H brought her 15-year-old daughter to the National Children’s Hospital for an examination, where doctors said her child was depressed as a result of playing games and watching YouTube channels with negative content.

H’s daughter is just one of many children who have been affected by online content, with some children risking their lives after watching harmful videos.

Last October, a nine-year-old boy in Phú Thọ Province swallowed a nail clipper after watching a video on YouTube. Luckily, he received medical help in good time and escaped any long-term harm.

According to Trần Thành Nam, a psychological expert from Hà Nội National University, children do not know always know right from wrong and can be easily swayed by others.

“Many things are repeated over and over, making them think they are correct and should be imitated. It is easy for them to become addicted and make them move away from real life,” he told Tin Tức (News) newspaper.

Adults can have similar problems distinguishing right from wrong when flooded with information which spreads doubt and a lack of trust, Nam said.

Ngô Anh Vinh, Deputy Head of Adolescent Health Department at the same hospital, said his department has treated a number of children for excessive use of social media, such as watching videos that are not age-appropriate and spending too long online.

“When admitted to the hospital, some children showed signs of agitation, anxiety disorders, depression. Due to late detection and the family being unable to control the child’s internet use in the first place, there are many difficulties in the treatment,” he said.

There are a lot of harmful videos online featuring violence or sex that can affect the development of a child and can lead to psychological disorders, he said.

If a child is exposed to such content for a long time, it can affect their social interactions, Vinh added.

It also has an impact on learning because once children are addicted to watching harmful videos, they will feel bored at school, he said.

Mental illnesses such as depression, agitation and behavioural disturbances might occur, he said, adding that the consequences would be very regrettable without timely intervention.

According to experts, the producers of the videos are only focused on increasing views and think little of the consequences of the methods they use to attract viewers.

To be eligible to apply to the YouTube Partner Programme and monetise videos, a channel must have 1,000 subscribers and have earned 4,000 watch hours in the previous 12 months.

YouTuber Thơ Nguyễn recently uploaded a clip on her TikTok page in which she asked a Kuman Thong doll to give luck to students in their studies. She was later fined for posting superstitious content.

Other YouTubers have also been criticised for misguiding children.

Late last year, Hưng Vlog has uploaded on his channel a clip depicting him stealing money from the piggy bank of his brother and sister.

Despite receiving sanctions from local authorities, Hưng Vlog continues to produce videos with questionable content.

The Hưng Vlog channel with 3 million followers can earn at least VNĐ350 million (US$15,150) per month, according to SocialBlade, an American website that tracks social media statistics and analytics.

A report from the Ministry of Information and Communications (MoIC) shows that there are currently 15,000 Vietnamese YouTube channels with advertising revenue and 350 channels with millions of followers.

The country has more than 60 million internet users and is one of the 10 countries with the highest number of Facebook and YouTube users in the world.

Besides the positive aspects of social networks, there are also many risks of exposure to harmful and violent content and children are the most vulnerable.

According to the Department of Child Affairs under the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, the national hotline for child protection at 111 received hundreds of calls from parents expressing concerns about their children’s use of the internet while at home during the social distancing period.

Solutions

Psychologist Trần Thanh Nam said Việt Nam needs a more synchronous strategy to handle toxic content.

In addition to the improvement of the legal framework and imposing strict punishment for those who spread harmful content, it is necessary for authorities and agencies to teach children how to use the internet safely, he said.

Students are provided with digital security skills at schools in Hà Nội. Photo baotintuc.vn

According to Hoàng Minh Tiến, Deputy Director of the Authority of Information Security under the MoIC, some cross-border platforms such as YouTube, Facebook and TikTok have implemented solutions to detect and handle harmful information for children and work with Vietnamese authorities when asked to remove negative information.

To tackle content that is inappropriate for children or content depicting abuse of children, the authority is establishing a Child Protection Network in the digital environment with the core the Vietnam Cyber ​​Emergency Response Center – VNCERT, an agency under Tiến’s leadership.

The network involves relevant agencies including the Ministry of Information and Communications, Ministry of Education and Training (MoET), and the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, Ministry of Public Security and telecommunications and internet service providers (ISPs).

One of the main tasks is to receive and categorise complaints about inappropriate online content for children.

The complaints can be received via the website of the network, by phone or via email, Tien said.

The MoIC will collaborate with the MoET to introduce a set of standards for identifying harmful content in the teaching of informatics to each age group.

Director of the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Department of Child Affairs Đặng Hoa Nam said the most effective way to deal with toxic online content is to report it.  — VNS