Need to build an aging adaptation mechanism, take advantage of the golden population for growth

National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man speaks

Supplementing regulations to maintain replacement fertility and reduce gender imbalance at birth

The draft Law on Population presented by Minister of Health Dao Hong Lan stated that the development of the draft Law aims to create a unified and synchronous legal basis to contribute to institutionalizing the Party's guidelines, policies and guidelines on population, overcoming limitations and shortcomings, and meeting the requirements of population development work in the new situation.

*Vice Chairwoman of the National Assembly Nguyen Thi Thanh chaired the meeting.*

The draft Law consists of 8 chapters and 28 articles, with the expected scope of regulation including: maintaining the replacement fertility rate; minimizing gender imbalance at birth; adapting to population aging and aging population; improving population quality; communication, mobilization, and education on population; and conditions to ensure the implementation of population work. This scope of regulation is consistent with the 4 population policies approved by the Government.

*Minister of Health Dao Hong Lan presents the draft Population Law*

Compared to the Population Ordinance, the draft Law has added regulations on policies and measures to maintain replacement fertility, reduce gender imbalance at birth; support elderly care, develop human resources for elderly care, provide and process information, notify and denounce acts of infringement and obstruction of the elderly from exercising their legal rights to adapt to population aging; conduct pre-marital health consultation and examination and prenatal and neonatal screening, diagnosis and treatment to improve population quality.

Propose to the National Assembly to intervene promptly in cases where the birth rate in some localities is very low.

The review report presented by Chairman of the Committee for Culture and Society Nguyen Dac Vinh stated that the draft Law has institutionalized the Party's policies and guidelines on population work, in accordance with the Constitution, basically ensuring unity and synchronization in the legal system and compatibility with relevant international treaties.

Regarding maintaining the replacement fertility rate (Article 13), the Standing Committee of the Committee proposed to study comprehensive, fundamental and comprehensive measures to achieve a sustainable replacement fertility rate. The study should stipulate financial support for women who give birth to two children, in which the group of women who give birth to two children before the age of 35 will receive a higher level of support; clarify the criteria for "localities with low fertility rates".

*Chairman of the Committee on Culture and Social Affairs Nguyen Dac Vinh presented the inspection report.*

The Standing Committee also proposed to continue reviewing, amending and supplementing the Housing Law to ensure the feasibility of the regulations on priority purchase or rental of social housing for certain groups of people. Supplementing the regulation that the Government periodically announces the birth rate status so that local authorities can develop and implement appropriate support and incentive policies; in case the birth rate of some localities drops to a very low level, the Government will report and propose to the National Assembly timely intervention measures.

Agreeing with the promulgation of the Population Law, National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man said that many countries in the world are facing the pressure of population aging. Therefore, first , it is necessary to concretize the Party's policy on population policy, when having two children will reduce the pressure of aging, in accordance with human rights.

Second , it is necessary to build a mechanism to adapt to aging and allocate population reasonably to reduce urban overload, protect the environment, and take advantage of the golden population for growth in the coming time.

Third , improve population quality, digitize education and digitalize healthcare; consider integrating compulsory population education from junior high school into the program on reproductive health and gender equality... When the Law is promulgated, strengthening propaganda and mobilization work among the people is extremely important, contributing to ensuring a reduction in gender imbalance.

Emphasizing that the draft Law is an important step forward, overcoming many shortcomings of the Population Ordinance, contributing to the realization of sustainable development goals, the National Assembly Chairman also suggested that it is necessary to emphasize the role of the State with a clear financial mechanism and the supervisory role of the National Assembly, the Fatherland Front, and organizations, ensuring that the Law will be well implemented when it comes into effect, not only solving the population problem but also promoting social justice and a green economy for Vietnam.

*Chairman of the Committee on Law and Justice Hoang Thanh Tung speaks*

Regarding regulations on policies and measures to maintain replacement fertility, Chairman of the Law and Justice Committee Hoang Thanh Tung suggested that it is necessary to continue research to have more comprehensive, fundamental and comprehensive measures, with long-term support, creating real conditions for people to feel secure in getting married and having 2 children, thereby achieving replacement fertility.

According to the Chairman of the Law and Justice Committee, the three policies in the draft Law are mainly short-term measures. Meanwhile, the summary report on the implementation of the Ordinance and international experience shows that it is very difficult to succeed in increasing the birth rate, the reason being that there are no long-term policies.

Concluding the session, Vice Chairwoman of the National Assembly Nguyen Thi Thanh suggested that it is necessary to continue researching and supplementing the State's policy regulations on population and development. Complete regulations on maintaining replacement fertility in the direction of comprehensive and fundamental measures to achieve a sustainable replacement fertility level, ensuring fairness in policy enjoyment. The regulations are feasible to thoroughly resolve gender selection, moving towards bringing the sex ratio at birth to a natural balance. Research and supplement regulations to ensure proactive adaptation to population aging; continue to complete regulations on improving population quality based on a comprehensive assessment of social aspects...

Source: https://daibieunhandan.vn/can-xay-dung-co-che-thich-ung-gia-hoa-tan-dung-dan-so-vang-cho-tang-truong-10389603.html