The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and Ireland have engaged in a project to assist Vietnam in sustainable poverty reduction in the 2012-2016 period. The project aims to support the implementation of Vietnam’s programs on sustainable poverty reduction in 2011-2020. Issued in 2011, the government’s Resolution 80/NQ-CP sets out to reduce the rate of poor households by 4% per annum with the focus on the most disadvantaged, ethnic minority-inhabited and coastal regions nationwide. The UNDP-Ireland project will provide assistance for eight provinces, namely the northern provinces of Ha Giang, Dien Bien, Cao Bang and Bac Kan; the central provinces of Thanh Hoa and Quang Ngai; the central highlands province of Kon Tum and the Mekong Delta province of Tra Vinh. In 2012, over 50% of ethnic minorities in Vietnam lived under the poverty line, of which 31% faced food shortage. Poverty reduction rates in the fields of education, healthcare, clean water, hygiene and housing in ethnic minority areas have lagged behind the country’s average. The government has decided to spend VND2.4 trillion ($114.28 million) to support sustainable poverty reduction in 23 poor districts in the 2013-2017 period. Beneficiaries are those in Cao Bang, Tuyen Quang, Lao Cai, Lang Son, Dien Bien, Hoa Binh, Nghe An, Quang Nam, Phu Yen, Kon Tum and Gia Lai provinces. Recent statistics showed that these districts are mainly inhabited by ethnic minority groups, which account for 15% of the national population. They mainly live in rural and remote areas, which have low labor productivity, are vulnerable to natural disasters, and suffer numerous socioeconomic difficulties. (Nhan Dan Feb 28, Dai Bieu Nhan Dan Mar 1 p2)
