Published on 

Successful Visit by Minister for Children and Youth Affairs to Vietnam Achieves Major Step Forward in Inter Country Adoption Relationships

 The Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Frances  Fitzgerald  T.D, on return from her visit to Vietnam, today said that:

 

Since coming into office I have prioritised the development of a closer working relationship with the Vietnamese authorities on adoption.  I know that this is an issue of enormous interest to prospective adopters from Ireland.  My visit to Hanoi over recent days provided the opportunity for direct, personal enagagement with Vietnamese conterparts and was very positive in furthering cooperation between our two countries on intercountry adoption.

The Minister was accompanied by officials from her Department and the Adoption Authority of Ireland, including Mr Geoffrey Shannon, Chairman of the Adoption Authority.  She had meetings with a range of Vietnamese Government representatives, including the Minister for Justice Mr Ha  Hung Cuong, and other organisations based in Hanoi.

The Minister said that:

I heard at first hand details of the programme of work that the Vietnamese Government has undertaken to complete the ratification of Hague and improve their systems for adoption within the country.  This process will see the Hague Convention enter into force in Vietnam on 1 February next and this provides a basis on which to renew cooperation between Ireland and Vietnam on adoption.  

The Vietnamese Minister for Justice, Mr Ha  Hung Cuong, asked me to convey to Irish families that “Vietnam is ready to implement the Hague Convention” and that “it is the Vietnamese Government’s desire to co-operate with Ireland in respect of intercountry adoption of children for whom a suitable family cannot be found in Vietnam.”

Following on from the meetings of recent days a number of further initiatives will take place to further strengthen cooperation:

●         The two Central Authorities for Adoption (the Adoption Authority of Ireland and the Department of Adoption in the Vietnamese Minsistry of Justice) will work jointly on administrative arrangements between the two countries to oversee adoptions. This will include a planned visit to Ireland by the Director General of the Vietnamese Department of Adoption, Mr Nguyen van Binh.

●         The Adoption Authority of Ireland will complete the accreditation of one or more adoption agencies to work in Vietnam in order to assist Irish couples and liaise with the Vietnamese Central Authority.  The Adoption Authority of Ireland has advised Minister Fitzgerald that it expects to complete this accreditation process by 1 February, following which the Vietnamese authorities will be advised of the outcome.

●        Minister Fitzgerald invited Mr Ha  Hung Cuong, the Vietnamese Minister for Justice, to Ireland and Mr Ha  Hung Cuong accepted this invitation. The visit will provide an opportunity to further deepen relations between the two countries on adoption and support cooperation in a range of other areas of mutual interest.    

The Minister paid tribute to the Adoption Authority of Ireland and the Irish Embassy in Vietnam for their ongoing work in fostering a close working relationship with the Vietnamese adoption authorities which formed the basis of the successful visit.  The Minister said that:

The Vietnamese Government was very positive in saying that Irish families have provided loving homes for many Vietnamese children already and that, following the entry into force of the Hague Convention, they look forward to renewing their relationship with Ireland.  Some 800 Vietnamese children have in the past been adopted by Irish families. I am confident that the work underway in Vietnam and the very close cooperation between our two countries, which has been greatly strengthened with this visit, will ensure the  intercountry adoption of Vietnamese children will involve Irish families, where it is in the best interests of those children to be adopted abroad.  

It is important that all adoptions take place within a child protection framework that operates in the best interests of children.  The commitment of Vietnam and Ireland to jointly working together within the Hague framework will strengthen protections for children and facilitate strong cooperation between the two countries on inter country adoption.    

 

Notes for Editors

The Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Frances Fitzgerald T.D spent two and a half days in Hanoi where she met a range of representatives including:

Mr Ha  Hung Cuong, Minister for Justice, Socialist Republic of Vietnam

Vice Minister, Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs

Ms Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan, Vice Chairwoman of the National Assembly

Mr Nguyen van Binh, Director General of the Department of Adoption  

Ms Lotta Sylwander, UNICEF Representative in Vietnam

Ms Deborah Fairman, Counsular Chief, United States Embassy, Vietnam

The Minister also visited a range of projects and agencies during her stay including a children’s orphanage and social protection centre and two children’s projects supported by Irish Aid (the Thanh Xuan Peace Village which works with children in need of health care and training, and the KOTO project which provides training to street and other disadvantaged youth)

.

 

16th January, 2012

Ends