A workshop was held in Can Tho city on June 10 to consult southern Stateagencies and sectors regarding a specific policy to supportsocio-economic development in ethnic minority communities andmountainous areas and disrupt the high prevalence of poverty.
Despite socio-economic improvements in many minority communitiesthanks to domestic and foreign resources, an array of difficulties arehindering development efforts such as the mountainous terrain, theshortage of farm land, and the impacts of natural disasters anddiseases, said Deputy Minister-Vice Chairman of the Government’sCommittee for Ethnic Minority Affairs Son Phuoc Hoan.
The highest rate of household poverty is seen in ethnic minorities, hesaid, stressing that up to 2,231 communes and over 18,000 hamletsacross Vietnam are located in disadvantaged areas where the rate ofdeprived and near-poor households accounts for more than 45 percent.
The official also blamed the sluggish socio-economic progress on theoverlapping and short term Party and State policies along with laxcoordination among agencies.
To address thoseissues, the Committee is working on a specific support policy for the2016-2020 period with the aim to minimise overlap, mobilise more mid-and long-term resources for development and provide localities with moreautonomy in allocating support.
Giving his opinionson the policy, Vice Chairman of the Steering Committee for theSouthwest region Nguyen Quoc Viet said it is difficult to reduce thepoverty rate by 4-5 percent annually as set in the policy sincelocalities are currently only able to lift 2-3 percent of ethnicfamilies out of poverty every year.
He continued tosay that up to 30 percent of ethnic minority households in the Southwestlive under the poverty line, compared to the regional average of 7.8percent. While about 30-40 percent of the families have gained access toclean water, unemployment is common among high school and universitygraduates.
Duong Dinh Lac from the Bank for SocialPolicies of Soc Trang province said the policy should focus on bothshort- and long-term. It is easy to satisfy temporary needs such ashousing, electricity, and drinking water, but the question is how tohelp ethnic communities earn a sustainable living.
At the workshop, some participants said since ethnic minority people donot have saving habits, the policy should encourage communicationactivities to shift their mindset rather than focusing on offeringmaterial supports.
More assistance should be givento the minority groups with the lowest development levels and favourableconditions are necessary to facilitate access to loans from the Banksfor Social Policies to prevent ethnics from borrowing from loan sharks,they added.-VNA
Despite socio-economic improvements in many minority communitiesthanks to domestic and foreign resources, an array of difficulties arehindering development efforts such as the mountainous terrain, theshortage of farm land, and the impacts of natural disasters anddiseases, said Deputy Minister-Vice Chairman of the Government’sCommittee for Ethnic Minority Affairs Son Phuoc Hoan.
The highest rate of household poverty is seen in ethnic minorities, hesaid, stressing that up to 2,231 communes and over 18,000 hamletsacross Vietnam are located in disadvantaged areas where the rate ofdeprived and near-poor households accounts for more than 45 percent.
The official also blamed the sluggish socio-economic progress on theoverlapping and short term Party and State policies along with laxcoordination among agencies.
To address thoseissues, the Committee is working on a specific support policy for the2016-2020 period with the aim to minimise overlap, mobilise more mid-and long-term resources for development and provide localities with moreautonomy in allocating support.
Giving his opinionson the policy, Vice Chairman of the Steering Committee for theSouthwest region Nguyen Quoc Viet said it is difficult to reduce thepoverty rate by 4-5 percent annually as set in the policy sincelocalities are currently only able to lift 2-3 percent of ethnicfamilies out of poverty every year.
He continued tosay that up to 30 percent of ethnic minority households in the Southwestlive under the poverty line, compared to the regional average of 7.8percent. While about 30-40 percent of the families have gained access toclean water, unemployment is common among high school and universitygraduates.
Duong Dinh Lac from the Bank for SocialPolicies of Soc Trang province said the policy should focus on bothshort- and long-term. It is easy to satisfy temporary needs such ashousing, electricity, and drinking water, but the question is how tohelp ethnic communities earn a sustainable living.
At the workshop, some participants said since ethnic minority people donot have saving habits, the policy should encourage communicationactivities to shift their mindset rather than focusing on offeringmaterial supports.
More assistance should be givento the minority groups with the lowest development levels and favourableconditions are necessary to facilitate access to loans from the Banksfor Social Policies to prevent ethnics from borrowing from loan sharks,they added.-VNA
