FOCUS: VIETNAMVietnam: Searching for long lasting peace and ethnic equality by SEACSN Vietnam.

FOCUS: VIETNAM Vietnam: Searching for long lasting peace and ethnic equality by SEACSN Vietnam

To narrow the gap, Vietnam advocates to “institutionalize more support for difficulty-ridden areas to develop infrastructures and human resources, raise the people’s educational levels, eradicate hunger and alleviate poverty, thus helping those areas out of under-development.”2 The 1992 Constitution of Vietnam also points out, “The State adopts a comprehensive development policy, gradually raising the material and spiritual life of ethnic minorities.”3 On July 23, 1998, the Vietnamese Prime Minister issued the Decree No 133/1998/QD-TTg to approve the Programme on Hunger Elimination and Poverty Alleviation and eight days later, on July 31st 1998 the Prime Minister issued the Decree No. 135/1998/QD-TTg to approve of the Programme on Socio-economic Development for Extremely Difficulty-ridden Mountainous and Remote Areas (abbreviated to the Programme 133 and 135). The aim of the Programme is to accelerate the material and spiritual living standards of ethnic minorities in the extremely difficulty-ridden mountainous and remote areas, to help bring the rural areas of these regions out of poverty, backwardness and under-development, into the common development of the whole country, thus safeguarding social law and order, national security and defence. It is the Programmes that take on great significance in economic, political, social and security aspects, which with its profound humanity, promotes national fine qualifications, thus contributing to the country’s sustainable development.

The measures of the Programmes on hunger eradication and poverty reduction, on narrowing the gap between the majority and minority taken by Vietnam are as follows:

-  The government has a strong determination.

-  The strength of the entire nation has been brought into full play. The Programme 135 acts as a stimulus to encourage sectors, localities, social organizations and individuals at all  levels to do a humanitarian job. Many ministries, sectors and localities have linked other development programmes to the programme on hunger elimination and poverty alleviation.

-  There has been a widespread organizing mechanism from the centre to localities.

-  Vietnam has received assistance from other countries and international organizations. In the past years, external assistance resources have accounted   for about 20% of the expenditures for the Programme on hunger eradication and poverty reduction in Vietnam.

-  The structure of crops has been properly shifted, making best use of the potentials of the mountainous regions.

• Letter from the Editor

• FOCUS: VIETNAM Vietnam: Searching for long lasting peace and ethnic equality by SEACSN Vietnam. 
  

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