Economic experts and journalists have called for closer bonds among the mass media, policy makers, economic managers and entrepreneurs to foster the national cause of poverty reduction and alleviation and sustainable development. They made the call at a multi-party forum on the issue held by the Vietnam Journalists’ Association (VJA) in Hanoi on March 6 with the participation of representatives of relevant ministries, agencies and enterprises. The even is part of activities to review 10 year implementation of the national strategy on poverty reduction and alleviation which is one of the Vietnamese government’s commitments relating to the United Nations Millennium Development Goals. Ngo Truong Thi, Deputy Director of the Social Protection Department under the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, said the government has given priority to poverty reduction and social security in parallel with economic development. However, the results came out to be unsustainable, Thi said, adding that the numbers of households living just above the poverty standard or relapsing into poverty remain high. VJA chairman Thuan Huu, who is also a member of the Party Central Committee and Editor-in-Chief of Nhan Dan newspaper, stressed that poverty reduction is a focus of attention of the mass media. Nguyen Thanh Phong, Editor-in-Chief of Lao dong and Xa hoi (Labor and Society) newspaper, suggested media houses should figure out how to bring the issue to readers in an appealing and multidimensional way. According to the newly-set poverty line, by the end of 2012, the poverty rate nationwide hovered at about 10%. (Vietnamplus.vn Mar 7)
