Nearly 200 collectives and individuals representing ethnic women who excel in economic development in the northwestern region will be honored at a conference in the central province of Nghe An in early May. The information was revealed by the Steering Committee for the Northwestern Region and the Vietnam Women’s Union at a press conference in Hanoi on April 19. The conference is expected to draw 31 outstanding business units and individuals from 14 provinces in the northwestern region, northern Quang Ninh and central Ha Tinh province. It aims to recognize the efforts of ethnic women who overcome difficulties to make remarkable contributions to the local sustainable development. A forum will be held on the occasion to enhance the competitiveness of ethnic women in business as well as expand cooperation in production and select proper outlets for their products. Dinh Thi Le Thanh, a member from the Steering Committee for the Northwestern Region, raised the fact that the average proportion of impoverished households in the region stands at 26%. In recent years, local women have made a lot of breakthroughs in doing business and reducing poverty, she said. A major change in the economic mindset is that women in mountainous areas have known to develop traditional crafts into tourism products, generating stable income and contributing to poverty reduction and rural development, she added. It is necessary to seek coordination and support from businesses nationwide in selling local products while focusing on vocational training to develop human resources and promoting regional connectivity for sustainable poverty reduction, Thanh said. The committee will continue to review policies and give advice to the Government to promulgate more appropriate mechanisms suitable with the regional conditions, she added. (vietnamplus.vn Apr 19)
