Vietnam’s poverty rate reduced from 22 percent in 2005 to 9.45 percent in 2010, exceeding the target of 10 percent set by the National Assembly.

This achievement was recorded after the five-year implementation of the National Objectives Programme on poverty reduction during 2005 and 2010.

Speaking at a workshop on sustainable poverty reduction orientations for the period 2011-2020 in Hanoi on November 30, Deputy Minister of Labour, War Invalids and Social Affairs (MoLISA) Nguyen Trong Dam said that with an annual reduction of 2-3 percent from 2005 to 2010, poor people have gained better access to economic resources and basic social services such as education, healthcare, clean water and legal assistance.

The infrastructural facilities in many poor communes and districts have been upgraded whilst the living conditions of the poor have also been improved, he added.

According to the Deputy Minister, though important achievements recognised by the international community, the country’s poverty reduction outcomes are not really sustainable and the gap between the rich and the poor is expanding.

In addition, there are still many challenges to implementing poverty reduction objectives such as risks from the international economic integration and the impacts of climate change, he noted.

In order to improve the efficiency of poverty reduction work, the MoLISA has submitted to the Government a resolution on sustainable poverty reduction orientations for the 2011-2020 period.

The resolution, drawn up with the support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), sets a goal of reducing the rate of poor households in the country from 15-17 percent to 4-5 percent in 2020 (under the new poverty line expected to be applied from 2011).

According to the MoLISA’s new poverty standards, households with an average monthly per capita income equal or less than 400,000 VND in rural areas and 500,000 VND in urban areas will be deemed poor. The current respective figures are 200,000 VND and 260,000 VND.

To reach this goal, besides implementing direct support mechanisms and policies such as preferential credit for poor households, free vocational training and job generation, educational and health services, the resolution also includes a national programme of objectives on poverty reduction for the 2011-2015 period. Priority is given to the most disadvantaged areas, including the northern mountainous region, the Central Highlands, the southwestern region, coastal areas, islands and areas inhabited by ethnic minority people.

The representatives from international organisations who were present at the workshop, including the ActionAid, the World Bank (WB), Oxfam (UK) and the European Union applauded the resolution and agreed that the introduction of poverty reduction programmes needs the involvement of the public as well as increased supervision and monitoring by organisations.

They also suggested an annual auditing mechanism and a system to receive feedback from people./.