VIENTIANE: Officials from around Laos convened in the Lao capital on Tuesday (Nov 21) to review the progress made in promoting the children's rights in the country.
The meeting was organised as part of the events to mark the World Children's Day on Nov 20 as well as the 50th anniversary of cooperation between Laos and the United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef), the Vientiane Mai newspaper reported on Tuesday.
The consultation provided a platform for vice governors from all the 18 provinces of Laos to discuss the advancements and challenges concerning children's rights in their respective provinces and the strategies to tackle those challenges in efforts to reduce the child poverty and improve the child welfare.
The discussions included initiatives in key areas such as education, child protection, health, nutrition, sanitation and social protection.
"The government has continued to put the promotion and protection of children's rights at the heart of our work because children are the future of this country," Deputy Prime Minister Kikeo Khaykhamphithoune said at the meeting.
Kikeo said that in the past years Laos has achieved significant progress in the work to promote and protect children's rights in the country.
"Our combined efforts have significantly reduced child mortality rates, dramatically increased school enrollments, and established groundbreaking legislations," said Unicef Representative to Laos Pia Rebello Britto.
However, she warned that in an era marked by a complex host of challenges children and young people are facing different threats to their rights.
"Our progress to promote and protect those rights is also at risk of sliding backwards if we do not redouble our efforts now," she added.
A highlight at the event was the presentation of results from the youth consultations held in the preceding days, which integrate the perspective of youth across the country in designing policies, strategies and plans to protect the rights of children and youths and promote their participation in the decisions that affect their lives.
The youth consultations held from Nov 18 to 20 discussed the most pressing issues affecting youths today, including climate change, natural disasters, child marriage and early pregnancy, according to the report. - Xinhua
