The guarantee of constantly improved social security is a major taskfor the Party and the State, says Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung in anappraisal of Vietnam's draft Socio-economic Development Strategy2011-20.
The people's wellbeing not only reflects the nature of theadministration but plays a significant role in ensuring socio-politicalstability and sustainable development, he writes in the article postedon the Government's website.
The Prime Minister says the alleviation of poverty should be sought in three ways:
Increasing the poor' s access to public services, especially health,education, vocational training, legal aid, housing and potable water;promoting policies that secure productive land; preferential credits;encouraging both agriculture-forestry and aquaculture and developingcrafts; and developing infrastructure for disadvantaged communes,hamlets and villages.
The policies and solutionsfor poverty reduction have had significant results and are highlyappreciated by both the people and the international community, he says.
The figures show the rate of poor households hasfallen from 29 percent in 2002 to about 10 percent this year; the dividein the standard of living between urban and rural Vietnam has fallenfrom 2.3 times in 1999 to twofold in 2008.
The people's material and spiritual life has been considerably bettered.
The National Goal for Employment has benefited through many practicalpolicies and generates more than 1.6 million new jobs for labourers eachyear to reduce the urban unemployment rate from 6.42 percent in 2000 toabout 4.6 percent this year.
The utilisation ofrural labour has partly raised income and living standards with percapita income up about 2.3 folds during the past ten years.
Three categories: Compulsory, voluntary and unemployment have been used to popularise social insurance:
The number of people buying compulsory insurance increased, from 4.8million in 2001 to 9.4 million last year or 18 percent of the total workforce.
About 96,600 have bought voluntary socialinsurance since it was introduced almost three years ago and the numberof unemployment insurance buyers is expected to reach 5.8 million thisyear.
The State fund for regular assistance and thenumber of its beneficiaries have increased from 113 billion VND formore than 180,000 people in 2001 to 4,500 billion VND for more than 1.6million people this year.
But shortcomings stillhamper the guarantee of social security and welfare so that numeroushouseholds slip in and out of poverty and a high rate fall below thepoverty benchmark each year.
Life for some, mostly the isolated and those in the highlands, remains difficult and the income still very wide.
Rural and urban underemployment still prevails.
Social security and welfare resources are scarce and mostly dependanton the State budget so that coverage is limited and pensions low.
Insurance services have not met the people's demands; their quality is poor and their procedures bureaucratic.
The PM says the weaknesses are rooted in maladministration, poormanagement, inefficiency, and inadequate awareness of the need forsocial security and welfare.
"We have not created a widespread social security and welfare system with active and sustainable mechanisms," he says.
"A system that can provide solid support for the poor people and help them escape poverty.
"And we have not mobilised the entire society's strong commitment to the guarantee of social security and welfare."
The draft Socio-economic Development Strategy says economic growthmust harmoniously combine with social progress and equality.
Its task is to:
- Ceaselessly better the people's quality of life;
- To develop an abundant and effective social security system; and
- Create equal opportunities for all people to enjoy fundamental services and well-being.
The PM says the following tasks and solutions must be met to meet these requirements:
Accelerate the realisation of socio-economic development programmes linked with job generation.
"We must perfect policies to encourage investment and providepreferences for enterprises which employ numerous labourers, especiallyin rural areas," he says.
"The National Goal forEmployment must continue with the project for renewing and developingvocational training to 2020 together with vocational training for rurallabourers via comprehensive, integrated and effective measures enforced.
"The labour market must be developed."
Develop, diversify and improve the insurance system, while designingsound preferential policies to encourage people to participate.
The development of an insurance system with the people's strongparticipation is an important way to share risk and help buyers ofinsurance deal with negative socio-economic and environmental impacts,says the prime minister.
This is particularly truewithin the context of the negative impact of the market economy, climatechange and the rise of natural disasters and epidemics.
Implement a sustainable poverty-reduction programme.
"It is necessary to quicken the implementation of socio-economicdevelopment programmes to eradicate poverty in a quick and sustainablemanner," the P M says.
"These should focus on theNational Poverty Reduction Programme 2011-20 with a new povertybenchmark that suits our country's development and internationalstandards.
"Policies and solutions for povertyreduction must be practical and consistent in production development andlife assistance, job generation, and market access."
Apply preferential policies and social assistance policies to beneficiaries.
The task is to perfect policies and develop a flexible system ofsocial assistance that can respond to disasters and accidents, boostprevention and response to natural calamities and the impact of climatechange, especially in the regions regularly hit by storms and floods.
To establish local reserve funds and mechanisms to quickly help people.
Increase the State's resources so that it plays its role in betteringsocial welfare and diversifying fundamental social services.
The PM says it is necessary to boost the development of three types ofsocial welfare funds: State-managed centralised funds; corporate funds;and community-based funds.
Services should also be diversified and integrated on a larger and larger scale, with higher and higher quality.
"We must transparently stipulate different types of social securityand welfare services while removing difficulties and red-tape tofacilitate the people's access to these services," he says.
Mobilise social participation in social security and welfare work.
Mechanisms and policies must be further perfected so that all entitiescan engage in providing more public services of better quality, the PMsays. Favourable conditions for all citizens to exercise theirresponsibility and capacity to partake in the guarantee of socialsecurity and welfare services./.
The people's wellbeing not only reflects the nature of theadministration but plays a significant role in ensuring socio-politicalstability and sustainable development, he writes in the article postedon the Government's website.
The Prime Minister says the alleviation of poverty should be sought in three ways:
Increasing the poor' s access to public services, especially health,education, vocational training, legal aid, housing and potable water;promoting policies that secure productive land; preferential credits;encouraging both agriculture-forestry and aquaculture and developingcrafts; and developing infrastructure for disadvantaged communes,hamlets and villages.
The policies and solutionsfor poverty reduction have had significant results and are highlyappreciated by both the people and the international community, he says.
The figures show the rate of poor households hasfallen from 29 percent in 2002 to about 10 percent this year; the dividein the standard of living between urban and rural Vietnam has fallenfrom 2.3 times in 1999 to twofold in 2008.
The people's material and spiritual life has been considerably bettered.
The National Goal for Employment has benefited through many practicalpolicies and generates more than 1.6 million new jobs for labourers eachyear to reduce the urban unemployment rate from 6.42 percent in 2000 toabout 4.6 percent this year.
The utilisation ofrural labour has partly raised income and living standards with percapita income up about 2.3 folds during the past ten years.
Three categories: Compulsory, voluntary and unemployment have been used to popularise social insurance:
The number of people buying compulsory insurance increased, from 4.8million in 2001 to 9.4 million last year or 18 percent of the total workforce.
About 96,600 have bought voluntary socialinsurance since it was introduced almost three years ago and the numberof unemployment insurance buyers is expected to reach 5.8 million thisyear.
The State fund for regular assistance and thenumber of its beneficiaries have increased from 113 billion VND formore than 180,000 people in 2001 to 4,500 billion VND for more than 1.6million people this year.
But shortcomings stillhamper the guarantee of social security and welfare so that numeroushouseholds slip in and out of poverty and a high rate fall below thepoverty benchmark each year.
Life for some, mostly the isolated and those in the highlands, remains difficult and the income still very wide.
Rural and urban underemployment still prevails.
Social security and welfare resources are scarce and mostly dependanton the State budget so that coverage is limited and pensions low.
Insurance services have not met the people's demands; their quality is poor and their procedures bureaucratic.
The PM says the weaknesses are rooted in maladministration, poormanagement, inefficiency, and inadequate awareness of the need forsocial security and welfare.
"We have not created a widespread social security and welfare system with active and sustainable mechanisms," he says.
"A system that can provide solid support for the poor people and help them escape poverty.
"And we have not mobilised the entire society's strong commitment to the guarantee of social security and welfare."
The draft Socio-economic Development Strategy says economic growthmust harmoniously combine with social progress and equality.
Its task is to:
- Ceaselessly better the people's quality of life;
- To develop an abundant and effective social security system; and
- Create equal opportunities for all people to enjoy fundamental services and well-being.
The PM says the following tasks and solutions must be met to meet these requirements:
Accelerate the realisation of socio-economic development programmes linked with job generation.
"We must perfect policies to encourage investment and providepreferences for enterprises which employ numerous labourers, especiallyin rural areas," he says.
"The National Goal forEmployment must continue with the project for renewing and developingvocational training to 2020 together with vocational training for rurallabourers via comprehensive, integrated and effective measures enforced.
"The labour market must be developed."
Develop, diversify and improve the insurance system, while designingsound preferential policies to encourage people to participate.
The development of an insurance system with the people's strongparticipation is an important way to share risk and help buyers ofinsurance deal with negative socio-economic and environmental impacts,says the prime minister.
This is particularly truewithin the context of the negative impact of the market economy, climatechange and the rise of natural disasters and epidemics.
Implement a sustainable poverty-reduction programme.
"It is necessary to quicken the implementation of socio-economicdevelopment programmes to eradicate poverty in a quick and sustainablemanner," the P M says.
"These should focus on theNational Poverty Reduction Programme 2011-20 with a new povertybenchmark that suits our country's development and internationalstandards.
"Policies and solutions for povertyreduction must be practical and consistent in production development andlife assistance, job generation, and market access."
Apply preferential policies and social assistance policies to beneficiaries.
The task is to perfect policies and develop a flexible system ofsocial assistance that can respond to disasters and accidents, boostprevention and response to natural calamities and the impact of climatechange, especially in the regions regularly hit by storms and floods.
To establish local reserve funds and mechanisms to quickly help people.
Increase the State's resources so that it plays its role in betteringsocial welfare and diversifying fundamental social services.
The PM says it is necessary to boost the development of three types ofsocial welfare funds: State-managed centralised funds; corporate funds;and community-based funds.
Services should also be diversified and integrated on a larger and larger scale, with higher and higher quality.
"We must transparently stipulate different types of social securityand welfare services while removing difficulties and red-tape tofacilitate the people's access to these services," he says.
Mobilise social participation in social security and welfare work.
Mechanisms and policies must be further perfected so that all entitiescan engage in providing more public services of better quality, the PMsays. Favourable conditions for all citizens to exercise theirresponsibility and capacity to partake in the guarantee of socialsecurity and welfare services./.
