HCMC Child Rights working group
Overview
The HCMC CRWG is an active and enthusiastic group of INGOs and Vietnamese NGOs set up in 2008. We are a group of organisations who have chosen to get together to share ideas and opportunities as well as concerns and struggles in relation to anything affecting children. The group intends to be action-oriented.
The Terms of Reference for the group were inspired by the CRWG in Hanoi in order to provide for some level of consistency and the group coordinates and works closely with our colleagues in the CRWG in Hanoi.
The CRWG aims to ensure a forum for the collective expression of views of organisations which operate additionally or exclusively in the South of Vietnam. In addition, the group takes position and/ or comments – individually or collectively - on documents or issues of national and local importance.
What is the purpose of the HCMC CRWG?
The overall purpose of the HCMC-CRWG is to increase/enhance communication and coordination and to share learning between actors working to support Vietnamese society and to effectively manage and respond to issues related to the rights of the child. For more details, the Terms of Reference for the group can be downloaded below.
Who can participate?
In accordance with the VUFO-NGO Resource Centre working group guidelines, the group welcomes attendance from anyone with an interest in this theme. The meeting is open to representatives and relevant staff of INGOs, Vietnamese organisations and associations; international and bilateral donor agencies, as well as representatives of government institutions.
Below you will find more information about the group but we encourage anyone with an interest in this field to come along and join our meeting. We will make you very welcome and ensure that your time is spent productively.
What themes is the HCMC CRWG working on?
The core issue for the coming year is a focus on Child Protection Policy and the development of practical and shared responses to this issue which seeks to ensure the protection of children wherever they may be in Vietnam. This work is also being coordinated with Hanoi.
Contributions to the NGO Complementary Report to the Vietnamese State Report on the implementation of the UN Convention for the Rights of the Child in Vietnam. The Hanoi-based CRWG has drafted the report with contributions from member organizations in the South. The State report covering 2002-2007 was finalized in August 2009 and the Complementary report will be finalized and presented to the UN in Geneva before the end of 2009.
Various issues depending on the needs or interests of the participants
Practical details
Frequency: The inaugural meeting took place on the 15th May 2008 and the ambition is for the group to meet every 2 months. The date and venue of the next meeting will be posted on the website and announced through the mailing list.
Venue: Members will decide on the next venue during each meeting
Working language: Vietnamese and English are both working languages of the Working Group. HCMC CRWG endeavours to make the meetings as accessible as possible for both English and Vietnamese speakers with a translator from English to Vietnamese and Vietnamese to English.
Contact us
The HCMC CRWG has 2 co-chairs:
* Saigon Children Charity:
Paul Finnis, director, [email protected] (English)
* Terre des hommes Foundation – Lausanne:
Johanna Risse, assistant country representative, johanna@tdh-lausanne-vn-org (English) or Nguyen Duy Huong,
Programme officer, [email protected] (Vietnamese)
Feel free to contact either of us at the addresses above for more information.
If you wish to join the group and / or receive information about our meetings or activities, we will be happy to add you to our mailing list.