Vietnam has achieved its goal in its poverty reduction programme, one ofthe UN’s eight millennium development goals (MDGs), said Ambassador BuiThe Giang.
The Ambassador, who is Deputy Head of the VietnameseRepresentative Mission to the UN, made a speech at the UN’s 49 thsession in New York on February 9, announcing that the poverty rate inVietnam has dropped from 58.1 percent in 1993 to 9.45 percent in 2010.
However,following the Prime Minister’s recent decision to adjust the criteriathat defines poverty, Vietnam’s poverty rate will stand at 15 percent in2011.
The Vietnamese Ambassador stated that Vietnam’s policieson poverty reduction not only aim to help raise poor people’s incomes,but also help them to access social services including health care,education and social integration.
Over the past two years,Vietnam has made huge efforts to generate jobs, provide training forworkers and make loans and healthcare available to the poor.
Healso said that education give the poor more opportunities to find jobsand business partners so Vietnam has focused on education for all butstill needs assistance from the international community.
AmbassadorGiang expressed his concern about the unfair distribution of sourcesand natural resources in comparison to the distribution of wealth, soraising of income did not meet all the challenges posed by society.
Headded that he was worried that by 2015 millions of people may still bein poverty despite their countries completing their poverty goals.
He said it is necessary to have a comprehensive approach and policies on poverty reduction in line with sustainable development.
TheAmbassador affirmed that Vietnam is committed to making every effort tocontribute to the current UN session on poverty reduction and therelationship between social integration and jobs for all the people./.