To this effect, Vice Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Hua Ngoc Thuan and UNICEF Chief Representative in Vietnam Jesper March signed the Ho Chi Minh City Child-Friendly Project on May 12.

As part of the Vietnam Child-Friendly Programme, the project will assist local authorised agencies in information collection and management, issuance of social policies and assessment of their effects on children.

The project will also help reduce injuries among children and increase children and pregnant women’s access to health care and nutrition services.

With a budget of over US$1.52 million, the project will be implemented until the end of 2011.

The US$22.1 million Vietnam Child-Friendly Programme is part of a national cooperation programme between the Vietnamese government and UNICEF in the 2006-2010 period. Together with HCM City, the programme is implemented in Dien Bien, Kon Tum, Ninh Thuan, An Giang and Dong Thap provinces.