Vietnam, US discuss resumption of adoption program

April 15, 2013 | 10:26
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Vietnam and the United State have resumed talks about the inter-country adoption program, which has been closed since September 1, 2008, when the bilateral agreement on the adoption of children expired.

The discussions took place during a visit to Vietnam by a U.S. Congressional delegation led by Senator Mary Landrieu (Democrat-Louisiana) from February 19-21.

The Senator and her delegation met with Vietnamese officials from the National Assembly, the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs, and the Ministry of Justice to discuss Vietnam’s adoption reform to support the Hague Adoption Convention. Steps taken by the Vietnamese Government to improve its child welfare system are also on the table.

The delegation also met with adoption stakeholders and visited an orphanage to discuss ways the United States can further support Vietnam’s work on the issue.

“We urge the government to help promote domestic adoption first and international adoption to make sure every child in Vietnam has a family”, said Landrieu at a press meeting in Hanoi yesterday, February 20.

Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (Democrat-Texas), a member of the delegation, said the Vietnamese government has shown its determination and readiness towards re-starting the adoption program.

The US congressional delegates also expressed their appreciation for the efforts Vietnam has put into improving its child welfare system, as well as in reforming its child adoption scheme.

However, a specific timetable for signing a new cooperation agreement to resume the adoption program has not been set, although Sen. Landrieu said she expects it to happen in the near future.

Over the past three years, Vietnam has strengthened its commitment to reforming its adoption system, according to a press release issued today, February 21, by the U.S. Embassy in Hanoi.

A new adoption law implementing decrees and related circulars has been passed and is being implemented. The Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Inter-country Adoption entered into force in Vietnam on February 1, 2012.
On September 7, 2012, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung approved a three-year National Project designed to implement the Hague Adoption Convention.

The embassy’s press release also said that the United States welcomes Vietnam’s efforts to enhance its child welfare system and, through a grant from the United States Agency for International Development, is supporting a program called “Strengthening Legislation and Monitoring Systems for Child Adoption,” which runs through December 2013.

Tuoi Tre News

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