Vietnam aims to reduce the rate of poor households by 1%-1.5% each year under the updated standards of poverty between 2016 and 2020, according to the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs (MoLISA). The updated standards of poverty, currently under development and will take effect from 2016, extend beyond the use of income as the only determination of poverty to include the minimum living standard and the access to basic social needs. MOLISA Minister Pham Thi Hai Chuyen said the ministry will focus on developing new poverty criteria on a multi-dimensional approach while advising the government in revising its poverty reduction mechanism and policies to limit investment dispersal and ensure priority is given to mountainous and ethnic minority areas. According to Direction No 23/CT-TTg issued on August 5, 2014 by the Prime Minister, only two national target Programs will be implemented between 2016 and 2020: the Sustainable Poverty Alleviation Target Program and the New-style Rural Building Target Program. Under this guidance, the MoLISA proposed a National Target Program Framework for Sustainable Poverty Alleviation which closely follows the Public Investment Law and the Government’s Resolution No 80/NQ-CP on the direction of sustainable poverty alleviation from 2011 to 2020. Besides the target in poverty rate reduction, the program framework also looks to enhance access to basic social services, improve infrastructure, and double the income of households rated as poor compared to the 2015 level. In 2014, a total of VND34.7 trillion was allocated for poverty alleviation efforts, VND30.8 trillion of which came from the State budget and the remaining VND3.8 trillion from other sources. The rate of poor households dropped from 14.2% in 2010 to 2% in 2014 thanks to national poverty alleviation efforts. The rate of disadvantaged households in impoverished districts was also reduced from 50.97% in 2011 to 33.20% in 2014, an average decrease of 5% per year. (vietnamplus.vn Feb 19)
