The report – conductedby the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Vietnam, the Ministry ofLabour, Invalids, and Social Affairs, and the Vietnam Academy of SocialSciences – highlights the impressive progress Vietnam has made inimplementing the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) No.1 on poverty reduction.
It held that of the 17SDGs targeted for 2030, goal number one is the most accessible in Vietnam.Poverty reduction achievements also brought the country to 57th out of 193 UNmembers in SDG indicators in 2018, up nine positions compared to 2017.
Realising the role of otherfactors outside of income that impact on people’s living quality, in 2015, theGovernment issued the multidimensional poverty standards. This was an importantstep in transforming the measurement of poverty levels based on income toassessing a multitude of factors, placing Vietnam at the forefront in theAsia-Pacific region in terms of applying such a method.
However, poverty stillhaunts many areas, especially in regions highly populated by ethnic minoritygroups. The multidimensional poverty ratio in the northern mountainous andCentral Highlands regions is two times higher than the average ratio of thecountry.
In 2016, the ratio ofthose living in poverty within the Kinh community was 6.4 percent, while thatin many ethnic minority groups is much higher, especially in the H’Mong groupat 76.2 percent; Dao, 37.5 percent; and Khmer, 23.7 percent, said the report.
The gap in spending,income, education, and sanitary toilet access between the Kinh group and minoritygroups expanded in the 2012-2016 period, the report said, adding that poorhouseholds with disabled family members have less access to education andemployment compared to the rest of society.
Caitlin Wiesen, UNDPActing Country Director in Vietnam, held that whether Vietnam becomessuccessful in poverty reduction or not largely depends on the country’scapacity to ensure inclusive growth and create better employment opportunities forpeople and effectively support those who are at risk of being left behind. –VNA