Vietnam Deputy PM Oks Poverty Reduction Projects

Deputy Prime Minister Pham Gia Khiem has recently approved the portfolio of the GIZ-sponsored project to improve local people’s living standards and reduce poverty in Tra Vinh and Ha Tinh provinces, Phase Two. The five-year project was designed to create opportunities for the poor, who account for the majority of Tra Vinh and Ha Tinh’s population, to fully exploit local socio-economic potentials and increase their market access. By the end of Phase One, 80% of poor people in the two provinces have made effective use of GIZ assistance, and 30% of the unemployed and underemployed have been properly trained or acquired stable jobs. The German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), commissioned by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, has assisted Vietnam in poverty reduction and reform process since 1993. (news.gov.vn June 30)