New poverty reduction challenges

Despite the impressive progress at national level, says the report, high levels of chronic poverty persist in ethnic minority communities and key population groups such as the elderly, malnourished children, and non-registered migrants.

Vulnerability caused by the risk of relapsing into poverty has grown as absolute poverty has declined. The near-poor are now a mainstream phenomenon and a large proportion of people are living just above the poverty line due to their exposure to climatic and economic shocks.

Poverty, including extreme poverty, remains prevalent among ethnic minority groups and areas. Accounting for just 15% of the total population, ethnic minority people comprise more than 50% of the total poor.

New forms of urban poverty have emerged among migrants and informal sector workers as a result of rapid urbanization and social change. Slowing economic growth and macro-economic instability since 2008 have exacerbated these pressures.

These groups do not have sufficient access to social protection and social services as these are often provided based on residential registration.

The report says climate change has had negative impacts on many aspects of Vietnamese households’ wellbeing, especially the most vulnerable, and threatens to reverse the progress that the country has made.

UN recommendations

New approaches are needed to take the poorest people out of poverty. This requires a shift in the way people think about poverty, with the chronic poor placed at the centre of poverty eradication policies, says the report.

The report proposes poverty reduction programs for ethnic minorities be grounded in disaggregated evidence and solid analysis of the bottlenecks faced. According to the Ethnic Minority Poverty Assessment published in May 2014, these include the quality of key public services, their reach and delivery by professionals from minority communities; properly tailored infrastructures; and the effectiveness of social protection measures.

Delivery also requires a better understanding of the cultural settings in which programs will operate. Local empowerment and greater attention to local needs and solutions are central to ending poverty.

Giving poor men and women voice, empowering them to find solutions, and involving them in participatory planning and monitoring are cornerstones for achieving sustainable poverty reduction, according to UNDP.

Comprehensive livelihood programs can be introduced to reduce fragmentation across multiple initiatives, bringing together support schemes and services.

SGT/VNN