A workshop was held in the northern mountainous province of Son La on March 24 to review the integration of policies on poverty reduction from 2015 – 2016 and set plans for 2017 – 2020. The event was jointly organized by the Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs, the United Nations Development Program and the Embassy of Ireland in Vietnam. The workshop highlighted the suitability in integrating policies on poverty reduction in 2016-2020, saying the move helped harmonies mechanisms and synchronize the application process as well as make it easy for local officials, especially those at the grassroots level, to refer to and implement policies. The integration of policies at the central level also helped reduce overlapping, wastefulness and increase the effective use of stage budget at local levels. However, participants pointed out shortcomings in integrating policies on poverty reduction. At the event, the Committee for Ethnic Minority Affairs and several localities called on the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs to discuss with the Committee when they develop policies related to disadvantaged areas. Hoang Thi Ha from the Social Policy Bank said policies on credit should be integrated into policies on encouraging agricultural production, while Nguyen Thanh Thuy, Deputy Director of the Hoa Binh provincial Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs, suggested integrating with local related policies. Participants agreed that policies on poverty reduction should be based on beneficiaries, localities, and benefited time to enhance access for the poor. Reviewing and amending are needed to avoid overlapping among policies, thus bettering multi-dimensional access to social services. (Vietnam Plus Mar 25)
