Officially passed by Vietnam’s National Assembly in June, the new law has the potential to save thousands of lives by clearing the way for the rapid and effective delivery of international humanitarian aid. The law provides exemptions from customs duties and taxes, priority for entry and exit, and facilitated procedures for the importation of relief items and personnel. Once implemented, these processes will minimise delays in the provision of life-saving emergency relief such as food, medicines, water, shelter, and search and rescue equipment to disaster-affected communities.
The adoption of the new law highlights an achievement for the Vietnam Red Cross Society (VNRCS), which has been advocating the importance of strong legal frameworks to facilitate domestic and international response to disasters. VNRCS has engaged with their government and other stakeholders since the drafting of the law began in 2010-2011, building on their auxiliary role as a provider of humanitarian services. Together with the IFRC’s Disaster Law Programme, they have been actively involved in providing technical support and advice to the government, including conducting a study on legal preparedness in 2009, and contributing to a National Assembly consultation workshop in 2012 to review the draft law.
The new legislation also places an emphasis on disaster risk reduction and mitigation measures, which are required to be streamlined into the country’s socio-economic development plans, from national to local and community levels. It also more clearly assigns roles and responsibilities among ministries and other key actors in preventing and responding to disasters.
The law is scheduled to come into force in May 2014, with further procedures expected to be outlined in more detail in ancillary regulations.