Vietnam takes lead in measuring multidimensional poverty: Minister

Vietnam has taken the lead in applying a multidimensional poverty measurement approach in Asia, which is part of efforts to realise its commitments to eradicating poverty in all forms, Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Pham Thi Hai Chuyen has said. 

At a forum in Hanoi on October 15, she said that the Vietnamese Government replaced a one-dimensional approach by the multidimensional poverty measurement method for 2016 – 2020 in last September. 

The approach, aiming to improve people’s livelihoods as well as their access to basic social services, especially health care, education, housing, clean water and information, is recommended by the international community to reduce poverty. 

Chuyen added her country will overhaul its poverty elimination mechanisms and policies so as to address existing flaws. It will increase conditional loan packages, prioritise supports to low-income women and ethnics, and expand policies designed for near-poor households and those just rising out of poverty. 

Vietnam will mobilise various resources for the work, particularly from the public and low earners themselves, while putting more effort into deprived communes and mountainous and ethnic minority communities to narrow the income gap among regions and demographic groups, the official noted. 

At the forum, UN Resident Coordinator in Vietnam Pratibha Mehta highlighted that over the last 15 years, the poverty-hit household rate has dropped to below 10 percent, and primary education enrolment has approximated 100 percent for both boys and girls, while maternal mortality rate has been cut down by 75 percent since 1990. 

A few countries have reaped those achievements, she said, noting that challenges are still ahead if Vietnam wants to realise the ambitious Sustainable Development Goals. 

She pointed to Vietnam’s unfinished Millennium Development Goals on certain regions and demographic groups, especially ethnic minorities and mountainous areas. The income-related poverty rate among ethnics is currently 3.5 times higher than the national average. 

Like other middle-income countries, Vietnam is facing an array of structural changes, including urbanisation, industrialisation, and internal migration. New forms of multidimensional poverty have appeared in the groups of migrants and workers in informal employment in cities, Mehta said. 

A 2012 survey showed that the multidimensional poverty rate among migrants in Ho Chi Minh City was four times higher than that of the city’s dwellers. Meanwhile, a majority of Vietnam’s population still lives near the poverty line, and any shocks from natural disasters, economic changes or health problems could make them relapse into poverty, the UN Resident Coordinator stressed. 

The forum, themed “Actions of Vietnam to leave no one behind”, was held on the occasion of the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty and the Day for the Poor in Vietnam (October 17) by the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, the Government’s Committee on Ethnic Minority Affairs, the United Nations Development Programme and the Ireland Embassy.-VNA

Training of sappers for UN peacekeeping missions inspected

Deputy Defence Minister Nguyen Chi Vinh and Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People’s Army Vo Van Tuan inspected the training of an engineer company for UN peacekeeping missions at Sapper Brigade 249 on October 14. 

Sapper Commander Tran Hong Minh said that preparations for a training centre and ground have been completed and participating sappers are being trained at the arms’ units. 

Deputy Minister Vinh asked for closer unit coordination in order to ensure the training process is on schedule and the engineer company can debut by June 2016. 

Earlier, he inspected the implementation of the Vietnam National Mine Action Centre project and the Vietnam Peacekeeping Centre project.

Central agencies’ 12th Party Congress concludes

The 12th Congress of the Party Organisation of Central Agencies Bloc (CAB) concluded on October 15 after three working days, electing a 55-member Party Committee for the 2015-2020 tenure and 34 delegates to join the upcoming 12th National Party Congress.

The congress adopted a number of documents, including a political report on the organisation and the congress’ resolution.

Delegates agreed that from 2010-2015, Party organisations at central agencies successfully fulfilled their tasks of advising and carrying out the working programmes of the Party Central Committee, Politburo, Party Central Committee’s Secretariat, National Assembly, President, Government and Vietnam Fatherland Front.

Party chapters at central agencies also played an important role in mapping out and guiding the implementation of major policies on speeding up national reform, industrialisation, modernisation, international integration and socio-economic development.

The congress’ resolution defined key orientations and targets for the CAB Party Organisation in 2015-2020, including continuing to build a pure and strong Party organisation and improving the capacity of Party members and officials.

At the same time, the organisation will push forward with the implementation of the Politburo’s Directive 03 on studying and following President Ho Chi Minh’s moral example and the Party Central Committee’s resolution on Party building while continuing to reform and enhance the efficiency of the Party’s leadership over central agency organisations.

The organisation will foster coordination with the Party’s central bodies for improved effectiveness in performing both political and Party building tasks at central agencies.

The new CAB Party Committee has convened their first meeting, re-electing Dao Ngoc Dung, member of the Party Central Committee, as the committee’s Secretary for 2015-2020. Participants also elected three deputy secretaries and a 15-member Standing Board.

Da Nang asked to focus on Party building

The central city of Da Nang should pay special attention to building a line-up of all-level Party members with high professionalism, good virtues and strong political character to meet the locality’s development need, said President Truong Tan Sang.

The State President made the remark in his speech at the opening ceremony of the city’s 21st Party Congress for the 2015-2020 tenure on October 15, during which he asked the city to focus on developing Party organisations and Party members in private enterprises to be in accordance with the context of national increasing integration.

He spoke highly of recent achievements made by the municipal Party organisation and people, stressing that as an economic centre in the central and Central Highlands region, Da Nang should take the lead in economic development, industrialisation, modernisation and international integration, thus promoting regional development.

The political report from the municipal 20th Party Committee highlighted the locality’s efforts to reap remarkable achievements over the last five years, citing political stability, promoted socio-economic development, reinforced security and defence maintenance and increasing attention to Party building and political system development as prominent progress.

The local gross domestic product increased 9.7 percent per year and is estimated to hit nearly 45.9 trillion VND in 2015, 1.6 times that of 2010. Its gross regional domestic product per capita in 2015 is estimated to reach 56.8 million VND (2,704 USD), nearly 2 times that of five years earlier.

The city saw remarkable culture-society development after a series of social policies were implemented effectively, contributing to improving local living conditions. High-quality human resources development was also intensified.

Efforts to ensure security, defence, social order and safety; combat crime; prevent corruption; and fuel judicial reform and Party building reaped positive results.

However, the report also pointed to shortcomings Da Nang should focus on resolving, noting that the locality’s socio-economic development has yet to match its potential and strengths, infrastructure facilities have not been synchronised, the quality of education and training has been uneven and living standard improvements have been slow.

Congress participants discussed and put forth a target to build a strong Party committee and develop the city into a large socio-economic centre of the country and a development catalyst to the central and Central Highlands region, making it a modernisation-oriented industrial city by 2020.

The congress will wrap up on October 17.

NA Standing Committee discusses draft law on associations

The National Assembly Standing Committee’s 42 nd session in Hanoi on October 15 concentrated its discussions on the draft Law on Associations.

Several opinions called on the bill to reflect the Party’s stance on the position and role of mass organisations, create favourable conditions for citizens to practise their rights to establish associations and bring associations’ voluntariness, self-management and sense of responsibility into play.

In its report, the government proposed exempting associations without legal entities.

The NA Law Committee suggested making a clear distinction between the right to gather and the right to establish associations as stipulated in the Constitution’s Clause 25.

It called for appropriate adjustments to regulations on managing associations without legal entities.

Chairwoman of the NA Committee for Social Affairs Truong Thi Mai said the government report should specify how associations without legal entities are subject to particular laws and State management.

Regarding policies towards associations, NA Chairman Nguyen Sinh Hung said those established at the request of the Party and State will be subsidised while others will receive funding for performing particular State missions.

During the morning session, legislators also commented on a report of opinions on the draft Law on supervising the National Assembly and People’s Councils.

In the afternoon, the committee is due to examine a feedback report on the draft Civil Code and the Law on Referendum.

Farmers called to devote greater efforts to national development

National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Sinh Hung has urged farmers nationwide to make more efforts to grasp and exploit all development opportunities brought about by the integration process to promote the national agricultural sector.

Addressing a programme to honour outstanding farmers in 2015 held in Hanoi on October 14, the NA Chairman highlighted the significant contributions of farmers to the national revolutionary cause.

He stressed the important role played by farmers in agricultural successes, affirming that agriculture is one of the leading fields in the country’s reform process.

Farmers are also major contributors to Vietnam’s poverty reduction and new-style rural area building initiatives, the NA leader added.

He called on farmers to enhance the application of advanced science and technologies, step up agricultural industrialisation and innovate production processes in order to create highly-competitive products and promo te the development of the national agricultural sector, ultimately contributing the country’s international integration.

The NA Chairman also asked all-level authorities to direct and work closely with farmers towards realising the country’s development targets, especially in agriculture.

The third event of its kind, the annual programme was co-organised by the Central Committee of the Vietnam Farmer’s Association, the Party Central Committee’s Commission for Communication and Education and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

As many as 63 farmers who made outstanding achievements in production and business, new-style rural area building, national security and defence safeguarding, and inventions in agricultural production were recognised.

The first programme honoured 62 excellent individuals while the second event bestowed the honour on 63 others.

VNA/VNS