The Irish Government has pledged a funding of nearly EUR13.3 million ($18.2 million) to poverty reduction program 135 in eight Vietnamese provinces during the 2013-2015 period. Under an agreement to this effect signed in Hanoi on December 13, the funding will go to ethnic communities in the northern provinces of Ha Giang, Cao Bang, Dien Bien and Bac Can, the central provinces of Thanh Hoa and Quang Ngai, the Central Highlands province of Kon Tum and the southern province of Tra Vinh. Each year, both Governments will be responsible for checking if the sum is used properly, ensuring that any problem arising along the way will be settled soon. Speaking at the signing ceremony, Vice Chairman of the Government’s Committee for Ethnic Affairs Son Phuoc Hoan asked ministries, agencies and localities to utilise the funding efficiently. Irish Ambassador to Vietnam Damien Cole reiterated his government’s strong support for Vietnam’s poverty reduction program towards bettering the lives of millions of people, especially ethnic minorities, who are living under the poverty line, in the coming time. (vietnamplus.vn Dec 13)
