Decree No. 13/2021/NĐ-CP on dialogue with youth; mechanisms, policies, and measures to implement policies for youth aged from 16 to under 18 years old.

DECREE

REGULATIONS ON DIALOGUE WITH YOUTH; MECHANISMS, POLICIES AND MEASURES TO IMPLEMENT POLICIES FOR YOUTH AGED FROM 16 TO UNDER 18 YEARS OLD

On the basis of Law on Government Organization dated June 19, 2015;

On the basis of Law Amending and Supplementing Certain Provisions of the Law on Government Organization and the Law on Local Administration dated November 22, 2019;

On the basis of The Youth Law on June 16, 2020;

||| Based on the proposal of the Minister of Home Affairs;

The Government promulgates this Decree to regulate dialogue with youth; mechanisms, policies and measures to implement policies for youth aged from 16 to under 18 years old.

PART I
GENERAL PROVISIONS

Article 1. Scope of Regulation

This Decree regulates dialogue with youth; mechanisms, policies and measures to implement policies for youth aged from 16 to under 18 years old.

Article 2. Applicability

This Decree applies to youth, agencies, organizations, educational institutions, families and individuals related to youth.

Article 3. Resources for Implementation

1. The funds for conducting dialogue with youth; mechanisms, policies and measures to implement policies for youth aged from 16 to under 18 years old shall be ensured and integrated into the current state budget as stipulated in the State Budget Law.

2. Youth organizations may mobilize support, sponsorship, and other lawful contributions from domestic and foreign organizations, businesses, and individuals to implement policies for youth aged from 16 to under 18 years old.

Chapter II
DIALOGUE WITH YOUTH

Article 4. Principles of Dialogue with Youth

1. Implement the Party's guidelines, state policies, and laws in organizing dialogue with youth.

2. Respect and listen to the opinions and aspirations of youth.

3. Ensure transparency, timeliness, and compliance with legal regulations.

Article 5. Responsibility for Organizing Dialogue

1. The Prime Minister and Chairpersons of People's Committees at all levels shall organize dialogue with youth at least once a year.

2. Heads of agencies, organizations, and units of the People's Armed Forces shall have the responsibility to dialogue with youth according to the requirements of the Communist Youth Union of Ho Chi Minh, the Vietnam Youth Federation, the Vietnam Student Association, and other youth organizations established and operating in accordance with the law.

Article 6. Forms of Dialogue

The Prime Minister, Chairpersons of People's Committees at all levels, and agencies, organizations, and units specified in Clause 2 of Article 5 of this Decree shall decide to organize dialogue with youth through direct or online forms.

Article 7. Content of Dialogue

1. The implementation of mechanisms, policies, and legal provisions concerning youth.

2. Activities of agencies and organizations related to the rights and legitimate interests of youth.

3. Matters within their authority or responsibility to report to competent authorities to resolve youth petitions.

4. The role and responsibility of youth in studying, working, training, participating in economic and social development, and national defense.

5. Other petitions and proposals of youth.

Article 8. Building Plans and Programs for Dialogue

1. The Ministry of Home Affairs shall take the lead and coordinate with the Central Committee of the Communist Youth Union of Ho Chi Minh to build annual plans and programs for dialogue with youth to be submitted to the Prime Minister for consideration and decision.

Agencies responsible for managing state affairs and units assigned tasks related to youth work shall take the lead and coordinate with the Communist Youth Union of Ho Chi Minh at the same level to build annual plans and programs for dialogue with youth to be submitted to the Chairperson of the People's Committee at the same level for consideration and decision.

2. Heads of agencies, organizations, and units of the People's Armed Forces shall be responsible for building dialogue plans with youth based on the requirements of the youth organizations specified in Clause 2 of Article 5 of this Decree.

3. The Communist Youth Union of Ho Chi Minh and other youth organizations shall compile the needs, aspirations, petitions, and proposals of youth, select topics, and cooperate with agencies, organizations, and units specified in Clauses 1 and 2 of this Article to assist in building dialogue plans.

Article 9. Contents of the dialogue plan and program

1. The dialogue plan with young people must ensure the following contents:

a) Purpose and requirements: To receive opinions and recommendations from young people on policy and legal development and implementation; to provide and disseminate policies and laws related to young people; to answer questions related to the rights and legitimate interests of young people during the process of implementing state policies and laws for young people;

b) Time:

The Prime Minister and Chairpersons of People's Committees at all levels shall organize dialogues with young people in March every year. In cases where it is not possible to organize in March, the dialogue shall be organized at a suitable time but must ensure at least once a year;

In cases where the dialogue is requested by the Youth Union organization as stipulated in Clause 2, Article 5 of this Decree, within 45 days from the date of receipt of the request, the head of the agency, organization, or unit of the People's Armed Forces has the responsibility to consider organizing a dialogue with young people.

c) Location: Agencies, organizations, and units select locations and prepare favorable conditions suitable for the form of dialogue for young people to participate in;

d) Content: Agencies, organizations, and units coordinate with the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union at the same level and other youth organizations to choose dialogue topics as prescribed in Article 7 of this Decree;

đ) Participants:

Chairing: The Prime Minister and Chairpersons of People's Committees at all levels chair regular dialogues; Heads of agencies, organizations, and units chair dialogues upon the request of youth organizations;

Participants in the dialogue include: Representatives of the leadership of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union at the same level; Representatives of specialized agencies of the organizing agency, organization, or unit; Representatives of state management agencies for youth at all levels; Representatives of young people introduced by the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union at the same level; Representatives of agencies, organizations, and units related to the dialogue;

e) Implementation organization: The organizing agency, organization, or unit assigns tasks to implement the plan content.

2. The program includes the following contents: Start time, end time; program content; assignment of implementation.

Article 10. Organization of Dialogue

1. Based on the publicized dialogue plan and program, the agencies, organizations, and units responsible for organizing and coordinating with the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union at the same level and relevant agencies implement the dialogue according to the plan.

2. The organizing agency, organization, or unit decides to receive opinions and recommendations from young people through forms such as questionnaires, direct statements, or through mass media, websites/e-portals of the agency, organization, or unit in accordance with the form of dialogue prescribed in Article 6 of this Decree.

3. The agency, organization, or unit compiles the contents into groups of issues to respond to the dialogue contents within their jurisdiction. For contents outside their jurisdiction, they record and forward them to competent agencies for resolution as prescribed.

Article 11. Contents of Dialogue Conclusions

1. The Prime Minister and Chairpersons of People's Committees at all levels, and agencies, organizations, and units issue conclusions on dialogue contents and send them to relevant agencies, organizations, and units for consideration and resolution according to regulations for complex dialogue contents involving multiple sectors and fields. The dialogue conclusion document includes the following contents:

a) Issues raised by young people in opinions, recommendations, and proposals;

b) Opinions, recommendations, and proposals of young people that were answered immediately during the dialogue;

c) Opinions, recommendations, and proposals of young people with complex contents involving multiple sectors and fields that have been transferred to the organizing agency or unit for consideration and resolution;

d) Assignment of agencies, organizations, and units to resolve young people's recommendations and proposals according to their assigned functions and tasks.

2. The issuance time of the document and the handling of the conclusion content are implemented according to the provisions of Clause 3, Article 10 of the Youth Law.

Article 12. Implementation Organization

1. The Ministry of Home Affairs is responsible for chairing and coordinating with the Central Committee of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union and relevant agencies to monitor, urge, and inspect the implementation of dialogues with young people at units and localities.

2. Annually, the heads of agencies, organizations, and units report on the results of organizing dialogues and resolving recommendations to the directly superior agency.

3. Annually, ministries, ministerial-level agencies, government agencies, provincial and centrally-administered city People's Committees compile the results of implementing dialogues with young people into annual reports on youth management and submit them to the Ministry of Home Affairs for reporting to the Government as prescribed.

Chapter III
MECHANISMS, POLICIES AND IMPLEMENTATION MEASURES FOR POLICIES TOWARDS YOUNG PEOPLE AGED 16 TO UNDER 18 YEARS OLD

Article 13. Principles for Implementing Mechanisms and Policies for Youth Aged from 16 to Under 18 Years Old

1. Measures must ensure the implementation of policies as prescribed in Laws and Codes.

2. Ensure that agencies, organizations, and individuals implement mechanisms and policies for youth in a transparent manner as stipulated by law.

3. There shall be no discrimination based on gender, ethnicity, or religion when implementing mechanisms and policies for youth.

4. The State, local authorities, families, and relevant agencies and units have the responsibility to create conditions for youth to develop comprehensively in accordance with their capabilities and age.

Article 14. On Universal Education

1. Measures to implement policies on universal education for youth aged from 16 to under 18 years old:

a) Propaganda and information dissemination about universal education policies to mobilize youth who have not yet completed universal education to actively participate in learning and universal education.

b) Review, compile statistics, and develop plans to organize universal education for youth.

c) Monitor, guide, and inspect the implementation of universal education for youth.

2. Ministry of Education and Training

a) Coordinate with the Central Committee of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union to disseminate, propagate, and mobilize youth, particularly ethnic minority and mountainous region youth, to participate in universal education.

b) Coordinate with provincial and municipal People's Committees to direct, guide, urge, and inspect localities and educational institutions to implement the dissemination, propaganda, mobilization, and organization of universal education for youth who have not completed universal education.

3. Provincial and Municipal People's Committees

a) Coordinate with the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union to implement the dissemination, propaganda, and mobilization of youth who have not completed junior high school to actively participate in universal education.

b) Direct the People's Committees at all levels to regularly review and compile statistics on the number of youth who have not received universal education; develop plans to organize the implementation of universal education.

c) Proactively allocate local budget funds to implement the dissemination, propaganda, and organization of activities, programs, and plans for universal education for youth, and submit to the same-level People's Council for decision in accordance with current budget laws.

4. Educational Institutions and Vocational Education Institutions

a) Educational institutions and vocational education institutions coordinate with the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union and families to provide information, propaganda, and mobilize youth to study and complete universal education.

b) Allocate physical facilities, classrooms, teachers, and other conditions to ensure the organization and implementation of universal education.

5. Families have the responsibility to create conditions and guarantee the right of youth to study and complete universal education.

6. Youth aged from 16 to under 18 years old who have not completed universal education have the obligation to participate in studying to complete universal education.

Article 15. On Cultural, Sports, Entertainment Activities

1. Measures to implement policies on cultural, sports, entertainment activities for youth:

a) Organize cultural, sports, and entertainment activities suitable with the trends, needs, and preferences of youth and Vietnamese cultural traditions and moral standards.

b) Integrate cultural and sports activities with local events, holidays, festivals, and traditional days of educational institutions and vocational education institutions to encourage and attract youth to participate.

2. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism takes the lead, coordinating with the Ministry of Education and Training, the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs, and the Central Committee of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union to guide provincial and municipal People's Committees to develop plans and organize cultural, sports, and entertainment activities so that youth can access and actively participate in preserving and promoting traditional cultural values and absorbing the finest elements of world culture.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism monitors, urges, and inspects the organization of cultural, sports, and entertainment activities for youth.

3. Provincial People's Committees, Municipal People's Committees directly under the Central Government

a) Direct the People's Committees at all levels to build and organize cultural, sports, and entertainment activities for youth to promote various forms of culture in line with Vietnamese cultural traditions and moral standards, meeting the needs and preferences, and being appropriate to their abilities and age. Encourage and create conditions for youth to preserve and promote traditional cultural forms of the nation.

b) Coordinate with the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union to carry out propaganda and education on the sense of responsibility and obligations of youth and provide information about cultural, sports, and entertainment activities for youth to actively participate.

4. Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union at all levels

a) Coordinate with educational institutions, vocational education institutions, and organizations to organize extracurricular activities, cultural, sports, and entertainment activities suitable with the psychological and physiological characteristics of youth.

b) Encourage and create conditions for youth not participating in educational institutions and vocational education institutions to join cultural, sports, and entertainment activities according to their preferences and needs.

5. Educational Institutions, Vocational Education Institutions, and Cultural Institutions

a) Develop plans and organize cultural, sports, and entertainment activities for youth to participate according to their talents, preferences, gender, age, and health. Implement the right of youth to participate in cultural, sports, and entertainment activities.

b) Develop plans and propose to competent authorities to allocate funds and mobilize other legitimate sources of funding to organize cultural, sports, and entertainment activities for youth in compliance with the law, cultural traditions, and social moral standards.

c) Coordinate with the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union to organize cultural, sports, and entertainment activities to promote cultural lifestyles, moral standards, and attract youth to participate in healthy recreational activities.

d) Manage and utilize effectively physical facilities, management teams, experts, coaches, teachers to serve the organization of cultural, sports, recreational, and entertainment activities for young people;

đ) Ensure safety for young people when participating in cultural, sports, recreational, and entertainment activities;

e) Identify and nurture talents among young people through cultural, sports, recreational, and entertainment activities.

6. Families have the responsibility to guide and create conditions for young people to participate in cultural, sports, recreational, and entertainment activities aimed at enhancing health, protecting, preserving, and promoting national identity, and absorbing the finest elements of world culture.

Article 16. On training, career counseling, and employment

1. Young people aged from 16 to under 18 years old shall be entitled to:

a) Receive information on skill development trends, future job prospects, and the labor market;

b) Participate in career counseling and job orientation sessions;

c) Participate in competitions to develop vocational skills linked to employment.

2. The Ministry of Education and Training and the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs shall guide provincial and centrally-run city People's Committees and educational institutions, vocational education establishments to innovate and effectively implement career counseling and orientation services that meet the needs of young people and the labor market at different stages; organize and encourage young people to participate in vocational skill competitions.

3. Educational institutions, vocational education establishments

a) Provide career counseling and orientation; supply information on job trends and the labor market to guide young people in choosing careers;

b) Be allowed to collaborate with other organizations and units to train and develop vocational skills linked to employment for young people in accordance with the law.

4. Families have the responsibility to seek information on careers, jobs, and the labor market to advise and guide young people in selecting careers and jobs that match their abilities, aspirations, and societal labor demands.

Article 17. On equipping knowledge and skills for self-protection of physical and mental health

1. Young people aged from 16 to under 18 years old shall be entitled to:

a) Equip knowledge and skills and provide advisory information on reproductive health care, sexual health, mental health, and other social diseases; prevent and combat domestic violence, school violence, sexual abuse, drug abuse, and other social evils;

b) Promote and disseminate friendly services for reproductive health care and sexual health protection.

2. The Ministry of Health ensures the provision of friendly services for reproductive health care and sexual health protection for young people.

3. The Ministry of Education and Training and the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs shall cooperate with the Ministry of Health to formulate, issue, and guide the implementation of comprehensive reproductive health education programs, sexual health education, and mental health education in secondary schools and vocational education establishments.

4. Provincial and centrally-run city People's Committees shall direct all-level People's Committees, educational institutions, and vocational education establishments to effectively organize and implement the provision of knowledge and skills for the care and protection of young people's physical and mental health; combat domestic violence, school violence, and other social evils.

5. Educational institutions, vocational education establishments

a) Equip knowledge and life skills; provide advisory information on reproductive health care, sexual health, mental health, and other social diseases; prevent and combat domestic violence, school violence, sexual abuse, drug abuse, and other social evils;

b) Timely identify acts of domestic violence, school violence, and other social evils for handling.

6. Families shall educate and guide young people in acquiring knowledge and life skills, reproductive health care, and sexual health care to enable them to protect their physical and mental health; live safely and healthily.

Article 18. Prioritizing the prompt resolution of cases causing physical and mental harm

1. The Ministry of Public Security shall coordinate with relevant agencies to monitor, review, and guide the timely resolution of cases causing physical and mental harm to young people, ensuring the implementation of criminal, administrative, and civil policies for young people as prescribed by law.

2. Educational institutions and vocational education establishments shall guide and integrate programs to disseminate and educate young people about state policies and laws. Upon discovering cases causing physical and mental harm to young people, they must promptly investigate and report fully to relevant agencies and units for resolution.

3. Families have the responsibility to educate and disseminate state policies and laws to young people. Upon discovering cases causing physical and mental harm to young people, they must promptly inform relevant agencies and units for resolution, assist young people in correcting mistakes, and help them develop healthily to become useful citizens for society.

Article 19. On the discovery, training, and development of talents

1. Agencies, organizations, and units shall discover, train, and develop young people with talents, particularly those from regions with special economic and social difficulties, ethnic minority and mountainous areas, coastal and island regions.

2. The Ministry of Education and Training shall take the lead in coordinating with the Ministry of Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs, the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism, the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Ministry of Information and Communications, and the Central Committee of the Communist Youth Union Ho Chi Minh to monitor and guide localities, educational institutions, and vocational education establishments in evaluating and reporting on the discovery, training, and development of talented students.

3. Families shall encourage, direct, nurture, care for, and create conditions for the development of young people's talents; cooperate with educational institutions to plan the nurturing of young people's talents.

Article 20. Monitoring the implementation of mechanisms and policies for young people aged 16 to under 18

1. The Ministry of Home Affairs shall take the lead and coordinate with ministries, ministerial-level agencies, government agencies, and provincial/municipal People's Committees to monitor, inspect, and evaluate the implementation of mechanisms and policies for young people.

2. Annually, ministries, ministerial-level agencies, government agencies, and provincial/municipal People's Committees shall report on the implementation of mechanisms and policies for young people aged 16 to under 18, integrated into their annual reports on youth management submitted to the Ministry of Home Affairs for reporting to the Government.

Chapter IV
IMPLEMENTING PROVISIONS

Article 21. Effective Date

This Decree takes effect from the date of signature.

Article 22. Responsibility for enforcement

1. Ministers, heads of ministerial-level agencies, heads of government agencies, Chairpersons of provincial/municipal People's Committees, and related agencies, organizations, and individuals shall be responsible for implementing this Decree.

2. During the implementation of this Decree, if there are any difficulties, ministries, central agencies, and provincial/municipal People's Committees are requested to reflect these issues to the Ministry of Home Affairs for consolidation and reporting to the competent authority for consideration and decision.