She made the statement at a conference in Hanoi on November7 to announce the World Bank (WB)’s study on factors impacting socio-economicdevelopment in ethnic minority regions in Vietnam.
The legislator said policies on investment in ethnic andmountainous areas have produced remarkable outcomes, including a highereconomic growth and improved essential infrastructure facilities such as roads,electricity, schools, clinics and irrigation.
However, she admitted that due to severe natural conditions,ethnic minority groups still find it hard to settle down their lives whiletheir access to health care, education, insurance and information remainslimited.
In order to meet development demand in the new period, theNA Vice Chairwoman said the Party and State have made ethnic affairs a basic,long-term, urgent strategic issue and the task of the entire Party, armedforces, people and political system.
In this context, the research outcomes of the study commissionedby the WB and partners, especially those regarding infrastructure, economic andmarket connectivity, employment, education, health care, local governancecapacity along with policy recommendations well served the concern of theVietnamese NA, Phong said.
Expressing his impression of Vietnam’s poverty reduction tobelow 10 percent from nearly 60 percent, the WB Country Director in VietnamOusmane Dione said it is a good time now for the Vietnamese NA and Government toeye a new strategy to address newly arising challenges, and the new nationaltarget programme on ethnic minorities will provide a suitable foundation todeal with poverty reduction challenges in the final stage.
Participants at the event discussed driving forces ofsocio-economic development in ethnic minority regions, and got updated onpoverty reduction, and human resources development there, among others./.