Hosted by the Vietnam Blind Association (VBA)'s Central Committee, the event is part of a series of activities to promote equality, progress and integration of the blind in ASEAN.
Addressing the event, Head of the Party Central Committee's Commission for Mass Mobilisation Bui Thi Minh Hoai emphasised Vietnam's commitment to care for and create conditions for people with disabilities in general and the blind in particular to exercise their right to equality , develop their abilities and integrate into the community.
Since 1992, the United Nations has designated December 3 as the International Day of Persons with Disabilities in order to raise public awareness of issues related to persons with disabilities, and mobilize support for actions for the rights, dignity and happiness of people with disabilities.
With the goal of realising the rights of people with disabilities, in October this year, 53 member countries and nine associate members of the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) adopted the Jakarta Declaration on the ensuring of rights of persons with disabilities at a summit in Jakarta, Indonesia to review the Asian and Pacific Decade of Persons with Disabilities 2013-2022.
The governments of ASEAN member countries have also committed to implement the ASEAN Enabling Masterplan 2025 on mainstreaming the rights of people with disabilities.
According to the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, on December 6, a document on Vietnam’s participation in the Marrakesh Treaty to Facilitate Access to Published Works for Persons Who Are Blind, Visually Impaired, or Otherwise Print Disabled was handed over to Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) Daren Tang for legal copyrighting.
At the ceremony, Chairwoman of the Trade Union of the Ministry of Planning and Investment Le Thi Tuong Thu presented 400 white canes to the Vietnam Blind Association in response to the journey “ White canes for the blind in Vietnam”.
