The message was delivered by Chargé d'Affaires of Vietnam to Timor-Leste Pham Binh Dam during a meeting with UNICEF Representative in Timor-Leste Patrizia DiGiovanni in capital Dili on July 10.

During the meeting, Dam said digital transformation is not only a driver of economic growth but also an essential tool for ensuring equal access to basic public services.

He noted that affordable internet access should be regarded as a prerequisite for narrowing development gaps, enabling people, especially children and young people, to access education, healthcare and public services regardless of geographical barriers.

The Vietnamese diplomat reaffirmed Vietnam's willingness to share both its successful practices and practical lessons in strengthening primary health care, expanding access to education, developing e-government, improving data governance, delivering online public services and training human resources.

According to him, such cooperation could be carried out through expert exchanges, training programmes, field visits and the sharing of development models suited to Timor-Leste's national conditions.

For her part, UNICEF Timor-Leste Representative Patrizia DiGiovanni said Timor-Leste continues to face significant challenges in child development.

Malnutrition remains a pressing issue, with the stunting rate among children under five having previously reached 47.1%. Despite the country's young population, many adolescents and young people still have limited access to education, employment opportunities, extracurricular activities and community engagement.

She stressed that, alongside improving essential public services, greater efforts are needed to create opportunities for young people to contribute ideas and participate more actively in the country's development process.

She added that Vietnam's experience could provide valuable practical lessons in this regard.

The UNICEF official also expressed the organisation’s readiness to work with Vietnam in carrying out field assessment missions to evaluate local needs and identify priority areas for future cooperation.

Both sides agreed to work toward ensuring that children are not only beneficiaries of development policies but also have equal access to development opportunities and can participate actively in the digital transformation process.

Timor-Leste, Vietnam augment legal and judicial cooperation

VOV.VN - Chargé d’Affaires of Vietnam in Timor-Leste Pham Binh Dam had a working session with Timor-Leste’s Justice Minister Sergio de Jesus Fernandes da Costa Hornai in Dili on July 2 to discuss ways to strengthen cooperation in legal and judicial affairs, digital transformation and investment facilitation.