Queen of Belgium Visits Vietnam as Honorary President of UNICEF

Queen Mathilde of Belgium meet with children and mothers in Hang Lao Chai village in Lao Cai, who are learning about nutritious meals through the UNICEF-supported Nutrition club. Source: UNICEF Vietnam

Belgium’s Queen Mathilde recently completed a three-day mission as Honorary President of UNICEF Belgium. The mission was focused on UNICEF’s efforts to bridge educational divides and provide more opportunities for the most vulnerable children and adolescents in remote, rural areas.

The Belgian Queen has concluded her three-day tour to Vietnam. During her stay, she had the opportunity to meet the President of Vietnam, Vo Van Thuong, and the Minister of Education and Training, Nguyen Kim Son. Additionally, she visited Lao Cai province.

This UNICEF’s inititiative helped reduce child stunting from 35% to 27% in the project locations and has been scaled up by the local authorities.

Learning how to identify, process and cook local food that is good, available and affordable for these families is critical to ensure children get nutritious meals.

UNICEF Vietnam announced in a press release on May 11 that Queen Mathilde was accompanied by Rana Flowers, UNICEF Vietnam’s representative, Luc Suykens, President of the Board of UNICEF Belgium, Christèle Devos, Executive Director of UNICEF Belgium, and Karl Van den Bossche, Ambassador of Belgium in Vietnam during her visit to Lao Cai. UNICEF Vietnam said in a press release on May 11 that during her visit to Lao Cai, Queen Mathilde was accompanied by Rana Flowers, Representative of UNICEF Vietnam, Luc Suykens President of the Board of UNICEF Belgium, Christèle Devos Executive Director of UNICEF Belgium and by Karl Van den Bossche, Ambassador of Belgium in Vietnam.

The Queen observed firsthand how UNICEF Vietnam helps the Government bridge inequities and broaden possibilities for the most disadvantaged children.

During her visit, she engaged with kids, educators, moms and dads, health care personnel, and government officials, gaining a firsthand understanding of Vietnam’s progress for each and every child.

I have had the privilege of observing Vietnam’s remarkable progress towards providing its children with the health, safety, education, protection, and opportunities to reach their full potential. While there remain numerous challenges, this visit affirmed for me that there are ingenious and original solutions being developed and implemented that greatly improve the lives of children throughout the country.

On the last day of her visit to Vietnam in her capacity as Honorary President of UNICEF Belgique, Queen Mathilde met a group of adolescents in Hau Thao Lower Secondary School, Lao Cai province to talk about their mental well-being concerns.

Queen Mathilde was pleased to note the work underway to promote positive mental health through activities that help children and adolescents to adopt and maintain healthy lifestyles.

At her meeting with Chairman of the People’s Committee of Lao Cai, Trinh Xuan Truong, Queen Mathilde expressed her delight in regards to the successful collaboration and participation of Lao Cai in the UNICEF-funded projects that are taking place in the area, according to the Vietnam News Agency (VNA).

Briefing the guests on the local socio-economic situation, as well as its potential and advantages, Truong highlighted that Lao Cai has received considerable support from various international organisations, such as UNICEF, through various programmes and projects. This has enabled the province to bolster people’s access to a safe and secure learning environment.

However, the Lao Cai official said that the province’s education and health care sectors have faced numerous challenges due to the difficult terrain and dispersed population. It has been revealed that two-thirds of educational establishments are situated in mountainous areas, and 70% of students belong to ethnic minority groups.

At the same time, access to mental health care and psychosocial support, particularly for children and young people, has been severely restricted, according to Truong.

He proposed that UNICEF bolster its assistance to Lao Cai in the fields of maternal and child malnutrition prevention and control, particularly in disadvantaged and highly malnourished communes, as well as financial aid for reproductive health care activities. Lao Cai expressed its hope to continue receiving such support, he added.

He also requested UNICEF’s assistance in enacting digital transformation in education and foreign language instruction for local students and educators, as well as boosting capacity for educators in remote and mountainous areas.

President Vo Van Thuong and Queen Mathilde of Belgium, who is on a visit to Vietnam in her capacity as Honorary President of UNICEF Belgium. Source: Embassy of Belgium in Vietnam

On May 9, President Vo Van Thuong welcomed Queen Mathilde of Belgium to Hanoi with a reception, noting that the Vietnamese government, Party, and people have long prioritized the care, education, and protection of children to ensure they receive the best possible care.

Vietnam has been making concerted efforts to improve its legal system and implement policies that encourage the welfare of children, such as poverty alleviation, rural development, education, healthcare, and social care. These initiatives have been implemented in a coordinated manner from the national to the local levels.

He expressed his gratitude to Belgium, UNICEF Belgium, and Queen Mathilde for their unwavering support and collaboration with Vietnam in protecting and caring for children, donating substantial resources to enhance the effectiveness of Vietnam’s efforts.

According to him, Vietnam still faces challenges, such as the widening development gap between regions, and disparities in health and nutrition across areas, particularly in remote and disadvantaged regions.

The host was certain that Mathilde would benefit from her visit to projects funded by UNICEF Belgium in various Vietnamese locations, gaining a deeper understanding of Vietnam’s successes, challenges, and accomplishments in this field.

Speaking highly of the guest’s suggestions, he wished that UNICEF Belgium would continue to provide assistance to Vietnam to refine their policies and laws concerning children, allocate resources to support its development, particularly in the areas of education and health care, in order to ensure that children are better cared for and educated in the future.

Queen Mathilde of Belgium praised Vietnam’s accomplishments and learned about the country’s initiatives to tackle children’s issues in collaboration with UNICEF. She expressed her admiration for the efforts being made to ensure a better future for the country’s youngest citizens.

She also recognized that this year marks 50 years of close collaboration between Vietnam and Belgium, “an opportunity for strengthening the longstanding ties of friendship and cooperation between the two countries,” she said.