Vietnamese National Assembly deputies and representatives from
Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) member parliaments discussed with
experts what they can do to strengthen the prevention and control of
HIV/AIDS at a workshop in Hanoi on November 30.
The event was co-organised by the Vietnam National Assembly (NA), the
Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and the Joint United Nations Programme
on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) with the aim of enhancing parliamentarians’
awareness about HIV/AIDS and their capacity in building laws as well as
in monitoring law enforcement in the field.
In
opening the workshop, NA Vice Chairwoman Tong Thi Phong stressed that
Vietnam has constantly updated and completed a system of policies and
legal frameworks on HIV/AIDS preventions and control, which gradually
met the requirements of reality and the international legal standards in
this fields.
Under the National Strategy on AIDS
prevention and control in 2010 with a vision to 2020, Vietnam has
reduced the numbers of new HIV infections, AIDS patients and fatalities,
and kept the HIV infection rate at 0.26 percent, the lowest in the
Southeast Asian region.
UNAIDS country director in
Vietnam Kristan Schoultz hailed Vietnam’s commitment to the 90–90–90
goals as the first country in Asia to undertake maximum efforts to
respond to the UNAIDS’ call.
The UNAIDS pledged to
work closely with Vietnam to find sustainable solutions to prevent and
drive back and eradicate the HIV/AIDS pandemic by 2030.
The 90–90–90 targets mean 90 percent of people living with HIV will
know about their HIV status; 90 percent of people who know their status
will be on HIV treatment; and 90 percent of all people on treatment will
have undetectable levels of HIV in their body (known as viral
suppression).-VNA