The City Steering Committee for Poverty Reduction said several steps have been taken to improve the lives of residents in many areas including health, education, and housing.— Photo phunuonline HCM CITY (VNS) — HCM City has selected four districts – 6, 11, Tan Phu and Binh Chanh – to carry out a pilot programme on multi-dimensional poverty reduction for two years (2014- 2015). The City Steering Committee for Poverty Reduction said several steps have been taken to improve the lives of residents in many areas including health, education, and housing. To date, however, a multi-dimensional approach to poverty alleviation has not been taken, and the pilot programme will be the first to do so nationwide. Traditionally, poverty alleviation efforts have focused on improving the income of poor households, but failed to address other factors that have a bearing on their wellbeing, including access to healthcare, education, clean water and a clean living environment. … [Read more...]
Ambassador says people should be focus of poverty reduction policy
NEW YORK (VNS)— Any poverty reduction policy should put people at the centre, Ambassador Le Hoai Trung, permanent representative of Viet Nam to the United Nations, said at the recent second session of the General Assembly Open Working Group on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in New York. Speaking on behalf of Bhutan, Thailand and Viet Nam, the ambassador said eradicating poverty must remain the overriding objective of the Sustainable Development Goals. He added that efforts to reduce poverty must be able to adapt to its changing nature, which was becoming increasingly complex. Earlier, at a debate on the conceptualisation of the SDGs, Trung reiterated that the guiding principles of the goals must conform to international law and respect all the Rio Principles, including the principle of Common But Differentiated Responsibilities. — VNS … [Read more...]
UNDP assists Viet Nam in poverty reduction efforts
HA NOI (VNS) — The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), together with the Republic of Ireland, have engaged in a project to help Viet Nam enact sustainable poverty reduction during the 2012-16 period. The project will support the implementation of the Vietnamese Government's Resolution 80/NQ-CP on the direction of sustainable poverty reduction (2011-20) and the National Target Programme on Sustainable Poverty Reduction (2011-15). It targets eight pilot provinces comprising of Ha Giang, Dien Bien, Cao Bang and Bac Kan in the north, Thanh Hoa and Quang Ngai in the central region, Kon Tum in the Central Highlands and the Mekong Delta province of Tra Vinh. Through encouraging involvement of the poor and intensifying implementation of programmes and policies on poverty reduction, the project is expected to contribute to the endeavour in the poorest regions, as well as remote areas where large ethnic communities live. Last year, over 50 per cent of ethnic minorities in Viet … [Read more...]
AIPA highlights green growth, poverty reduction
VietNamNet Bridge – The fifth ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA Caucus 5), focusing on green growth and poverty reduction for sustainable development, wrapped up on May 13 in Da Lat City, in the Central Highlands of Lam Dong. More than 60 delegates at the two-day meeting stressed that sustainable development is one of the targets that many countries, especially AIPA members, aim for. They agreed that ASEAN parliamentarians have played an important role in making policies and incorporating international commitment into their countries' laws in a bid to harmonise the ASEAN legal system. Regarding green growth, AIPA Caucus 5 emphasised the importance of enhancing legislative capacity in the field and they recognised Vietnam's proposal to establish an ASEAN Green Growth Centre. Participants also discussed poverty reduction policy direction progress and coordination in the implementation of programmes and policies designed to reduce poverty, as well as national strategies … [Read more...]
Poverty Reduction Support Fund supports 5,000 households
A farmer harvest mushroom. Her family is one among many households benefited from the fund. — VNS Photo Over 5,000 households with over 20,000 people in many provinces and cities have benefited from Poverty Reduction Support Fund since it was set up 13 years ago. The microfinance project, funded by BAT company to the tune of VNĐ1.6 billion through Hà Noi Moi (New Ha Noi) newspaper since 2004, has been carried out in places like Hai Phong, Bac Giang, Ha Noi, Quang Tri, HCM City, and Long An. The project supports local hunger elimination programmes to gradually create a stable life for poor people and help them save enough money to start a business. Nguyen Hoang Hue Linh, senior corporate communication & CSR manager of BAT Vietnam, said: “Community-oriented projects like the Poverty Reduction Support Fund have left a good impression on many people as they have helped thousands of families overcome … [Read more...]
Ha Noi targets poverty reduction
HA NOI (VNS)— Ha Noi aims to reduce the number of poor households in the capital city by 16,500 in 2013. City authorities have instructed all departments, sectors and districts to pay particular attention to supporting welfare recipients and integrating rural works with poverty reduction. The city will continue to provide credit support for poor households to expand production, increasing the loan limit to VND20-30 million per household. It will also ensure that members of the poor households are able to attend labor export programmes and students of poor households can access loans at preferential interest rates to cover their tuition and other schooling fees. For rural and remote communes and hamlets that have a large population of ethnic minority residents, each person will receive from VND150,000 to VND200,000 per year to support livelihood and production. Ha Noi currently has more than 59,360 poor households, accounting for 3.6 per cent of the population, according to … [Read more...]
ODA key to development, poverty reduction
HA NOI (VNS)– Donor countries have been urged to continue their official development assistance to Viet Nam, even as their budgets tighten for the difficult year ahead. The plea was made by Minister of Planning and Investment Bui Quang Vinh at the opening of the annual Viet Nam Consultative Group meeting in Ha Noi, this morning . ODA would still be "an important source of capital for poverty reduction and development investment", Vinh said in his opening speech. World Bank country director for Viet Nam Victoria KwaKwa, who was co-chair of the meeting, noted the country's continued downward economic growth trend over the last few years, suggesting that the economy was losing much of its dynamism. KwaKwa said development partners were committed to change the Consultative Group from an ODA mobilisation platform to a dialogue among donors, the Government, private sectors and other stakeholders, starting from next year. Meanwhile, donor ODA commitments for 2013 were expected to be … [Read more...]
Nation focuses on long-term poverty reduction strategy
Hang Nguyen Bamboo weaving, a traditional craft of Bao La Village in central Thua Thien- Hue Province's Quang Dien District, has helped to raise people out of poverty by providing them with extra income. — VNA/VNS Photo Nguyen Thuy HA NOI (VNS)– Viet Nam would focus on sustainable poverty reduction from 2012-15 under a National Target Programme recently approved by Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung. Nguyen Trong Dam, Deputy Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, said that the programme on sustainable poverty reduction prioritised people living in the most disadvantaged areas. The Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MOLISA) said that there would also be specific policies for other groups including old-aged people, the disabled and orphans. Head of the ministry's Co-ordination Office for the Poverty Reduction Programme Ngo Truong Thi said at the meeting in Ha Noi yesterday that the programme was part of national socio-economic development, in … [Read more...]
New approach to poverty reduction
VietNamNet Bridge – Leaders of Central Highlands' provinces yesterday, March 25, called for more support from the Government to help reduce poverty through sustainable, community-based programmes. An online discussion on the Government's website gathered the deputy chairmen and chairwomen of the People's Committees of Kon Tum, Gia Lai, Dak Lak, Dak Nong and Lam Dong provinces. In 2011, Kon Tum Province reduced the percentage of poor households to nearly 28 per cent, Dak Nong to 26.8 per cent, Lam Dong to 9.1 per cent and Dak Lak to 24.6 per cent. Despite significant progress in poverty reduction, these provinces are still struggling to implement programmes that can reach remote areas. Challenges remain, including the shortage of jobs and training for ethnic minority workers, the lack of funding to provide adequate housing, social protection policies for the poor and pressure in dealing with migrants. Mang Dung, deputy … [Read more...]
More funds for poverty reduction
The Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Deputy Minister, Nguyen Trong Dam, spoke with Tin Tuc (News) newspaper about the role of the business community in reducing poverty. How did poverty-alleviation efforts go last year? According to cities and provinces' evaluation reports, we achieved the goal of reducing the number of poor households by 2 per cent last year. Specifically, the number of poor households in the country dropped from 14.2 per cent in 2010 to 12 per cent in 2011. The poorest areas are mainly in the north-west, in particular the province of Dien Bien. That is followed by Lai Chau, Lao Cai, Ha Giang and Cao Bang provinces. What major steps were taken last year to reduce poverty? The biggest step was the issuance of Government resolution 80/NQ-CP on sustainable poverty reduction from 2011-20. The resolution, issued in May 2011, is a departure from the National Poverty Eradication Programme. It aims to tackle poverty by mobilising funds from various sources. Adding to this … [Read more...]