Social affairs will be an important issue of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) as well as its socio-cultural community in 2020 when Vietnam serves as Chair of the ASEAN, a Vietnamese official has said.

Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Dao Ngoc Dung (right)
and ASEAN Secretary General Lim Jock Hoi (Photo: VNA) 

At a reception for ASEAN Secretary General Lim Jock Hoi in Hanoi on December 3, Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Dao Ngoc Dung said apart from mid-term review, regional countries will implement the ASEAN declaration on human resources.

The move aims to promote cooperation within the ten-member group in dealing with free migration and skill training to make human resources a breakthrough helping the countries escape from the middle-income trap, he further explained.

The minister highlighted five priorities of Vietnam’s ASEAN Chairmanship Year 2020, which are promoting ASEAN’s role in enhancing mutual support; strengthening regional connectivity and adaptability to the Fourth Industrial Revolution; spurring inclusive development; stepping up socio-cultural partnerships, especially those regarding children, women and human resources; and improving adaptability and operational efficiency of the ASEAN apparatus.

For his part, Lim Jock Hoi lauded the Vietnamese Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MoLISA) for organising the conference on ASEAN in Hanoi on December 2, in preparation for Vietnam’s ASEAN Chairmanship Year 2020.

He also applauded Vietnam’s ratification of the amended Labour Code, which, he said, is significant to the grouping’s settlement of labour and society-related issues, especially the increase of retirement age and labourers’ organisations in businesses.