The Embassy of Denmark to Vietnam has supported Vietnam in occupational safety and health.

MoLISA Deputy Minister Nguyen Trong Dam inked a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Danish Ambassador John Nielsen on the implementation of the Danish assistance to the Vietnamese National Programme on Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Period 2011-2015.

With the aim to improving labour conditions in Vietnamese enterprises and create decent jobs, this is one of the biggest Danish supports to corporate social responsibility (CSR) in Vietnam, according to an embassy release.

The funding amount will be approximately $10 million for the 2011-2013 period.

“We would like to see companies focusing even more on CSR. Worldwide, CSR is increasingly considered a comparative advantage for many companies, especially in retaining workers,” Nielsen said.

He said many Danish companies believed that if working environments for employees were improved and workers’ rights were considered, the likelihood of increasing productivity and performance was high.

“Therefore, improving the working conditions for employees, promoting gender equality and creating friendlier environment is becoming an asset in competitive markets such as Vietnam,” he said.

Dam said: “The Danish support to the National Programme on Occupational Safety and Health in the next three years is a significant support which will help improve working conditions in Vietnamese enterprises and reduce occupational accidents in Vietnam.”

According to the release, the MoU marked an important step forward since it provided crucial principles and mechanisms for an effective implementation of the Danish support to the National Programme on Occupational Safety and Health 2011-2015.

The support had been largely built upon successful outcome of the cooperation between the Embassy of Denmark and MoLISA in the area of labour inspection during 2005-2010 under the Business Sector Programme Support.