The first Congress of Ethnic Minority Groups in the Central Highlands province of Dak Lak took place on Jan. 6, drawing 353 deputies representing 40 ethnic minority groups in the province.

Tong Thi Phong, Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee and Vice-Chairwoman of the National Assembly (NA); Ksor Phuoc, Chairman of the NA Ethnic Minorities Council; and Giang Seo Phu, Minister-Chairman of the Committee for Ethnic Affairs attended the event.

Participants reviewed the patriotic campaigns of the province’s ethnic minority groups over the past time and worked out plans for coming years with the aim of strengthening the all-people solidarity to develop the country.

Over the past time, many projects and programme on poverty reduction and socio-economic development were carried out in the province, bringing about remarkable improvements in local people’s living standards.

Noteworthy were the implementation of the Government’s decision on investment in socio-economic development in the Central Highlands, the programme on socio-economic development in special difficult areas and programmes on farming land, housing and safe water.

Dak Lak province plans to continue to give priority to socio-economic development in areas of ethnic minority people, as well as developing human resources, building infrastructure and poverty reduction there.

The congress selected 41 outstanding representatives to attend the up-coming National Congress of Ethnic Minority Groups./.