
Hanoi (VNA) – The “Value Chains Idea Contest” (VCIC)was launched in Hanoi on June 22 with the aim of supporting ethnic minoritycommunities in Vietnam.
The contest was organised by the VietnameseGovernment’s Committee for Ethnic Minorities Affairs, the World Bank and theAustralian Department for Foreign Affairs and Trade.
The VCIC aims to support the development andimplementation of new and innovative ideas regarding value chains and expandingmarket access opportunities for products of ethnic minorities in Vietnam.
It is also meant to contribute to thepreservation and promotion of cultural strength and traditional knowledge ofVietnamese ethnic minority communities while enhancing the role and capacity ofethnic minority women and youth in escaping poverty and bringing prosperity to themselvesand their communities.
The VCIC is part of series of activities of theCommittee for Ethnic Minorities Affairs and international partners, mediapartners, and Party and Government agencies to help ethnic minorities to catchup with the national start-up trend, thus contributing to poverty reduction andboosting prosperity in ethnic minority areas.
Eligible candidates include individuals, groupsof individuals, small and medium enterprises, cooperatives, cooperative groups,and entrepreneurs of ethnic minorities with ideas for developing cooperation orpartnerships with ethnic minorities anywhere in Vietnam.
The ideas should contribute to solving one orboth of the following issues: developing value chains benefiting ethnicminority people, and creating an enabling environment for the development ofvalue chains which benefit ethnic minorities, especially women and youth.
In Round I of the contest, ideas should besubmitted by the end of August 31, and a maximum of 50 ideas will be selectedand announced on October 1.
In Round II, authors of shortlisted ideas willbe provided with training and support so their ideas can be developed intoproject proposals. Deadline for proposals is December 15. Selected proposalswill be announced on January 18, 2019.
Candidates with project ideas selected in RoundI will receive support and consultancy from experts to develop and finalize adetailed project proposal to submit in Round II. Projects selected in Round IIwill receive funding for implementation.-VNA
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