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UNFPA Chief Representative in Vietnam Matt Jackson (Photo: UNFPA Vietnam).

What is your assessment on the Government's recent policy of supporting ethnic minorities?

The Vietnamese Government has many policies to support ethnic minorities. They achieved remarkable achievements, for example, the Government's national target program on socio-economic development in ethnic minority and mountainous areas for the period 2021 - 2025. With a total budget of VND 137,665 billion, it combines many policies to improve the area. residence, agricultural products, infrastructure, education, healthcare, and gender equality. There are also policies for cultural preservation and development for ethnic minority groups. There are two other national target programs on sustainable poverty reduction and new rural development that target people in rural areas, ethnic minorities and mountainous areas.

Thanks to this strong policy commitment, Vietnam has achieved significant progress in socio-economic development and poverty reduction for disadvantaged groups, including ethnic minorities. The poverty rate in some chronically poor groups, including ethnic minorities and households in the Northern Midlands and Mountains, has decreased by at least half between 2010 and 2020 (reported by the Poverty and Equality Assessment of Vietnam in 2022 - From Last Mile to Next Mile, World Bank in Vietnam). Vietnam's poverty reduction is an astonishing achievement, which became a globally famous success story in the fight against poverty.

However, there is still a gap between the majority population and ethnic minority groups that needs special attention from the Government. For example, the maternal mortality ratio has decreased from 233/100,000 miscarriages in the 1990s to 46/100,000 miscarriages in 2019, the rate is still much higher in ethnic minority groups. Also, while 96% of newborns are born in medical facilities with basic medical care and equipment, this figure for newborns from ethnic minorities is only 30% (the 2021 Survey of SDG indicators on children and women in Vietnam, General Statistics Office).

These are useful statistics that help ensure that investments can benefit the hardest-to-reach groups, as well as the most vulnerable. They can also help policymakers ensure that policies are effective for ethnic minorities and disadvantaged people who are at high risk of being left behind.

Please share the details of technical support activities for the General Statistics Office (GSO) done by UNFPA, especially in the preparing and implementing process of the Survey on the socio-economic situation of 53 ethnic minorities in 2024?

The investigation process of the socio-economic situation of 53 ethnic minorities in 2024 will contribute to narrowing the data gap, especially related to demographic changes, access to basic services, employment and standard of living. All of these aspects play an important role in monitoring the progress of the Government's policies targeting ethnic minorities between 2021 and 2025, helping to improve national indicators of the ethnic minorities and provide information for policy decisions and actions in the period 2026 - 2030 with the goal of reducing the gap between the Kinh and ethnic minorities in Vietnam.

With the experience accumulated from supporting the implementation of the Survey of the Socio-Economic Situation of 53 Ethnic Minorities in 2019, UNFPA commits to continue supporting the Survey of the Socio-Economic Situation of 53 Ethnic Minorities in 2024. We have cooperated with the GSO and the Committee for Ethnic Minorities (CEM) to support capacity building for investigators, focusing on improving their knowledge and skills to conduct interviews with ethnic minority people in a culturally appropriate manner.

Health center workers in Son La city joined a training session on behavior change communication on safe motherhood provided by UNFPA (Photo: UNFPA Vietnam).

UNFPA will continue to provide support in monitoring data collection, performing data analysis, and facilitating broader use of data by ministries, government agencies, and other stakeholders.

What is your recommendation for Vietnam to ensure the successful implementation of the Survey on the socio-economic situation of 53 ethnic minorities?

The investigation will be conducted with many ethnic minority groups so it is necessary to equip local investigators with the necessary skills to lead interviews sensitively, effectively, and in a culturally appropriate manner. Adequate translation support is needed throughout the entire investigation process to address potential language barriers,

Also, IT devices such as smartphones, tablets or similar devices should be used to fill out the questionnaire. This innovation helps speed up data analysis while limiting human errors. The survey was mainly conducted in areas where Internet access or IT literacy may be limited, so alternative options should be considered to address potential challenges.

Data obtained from the Survey of the Socio-Economic Situation of 53 Ethnic Minorities in 2024 will provide detailed information about the development challenges faced by ethnic minorities. UNFPA is committed to continuing to provide technical support to GSO and CEM in analyzing data and connecting data with many data users to ensure that no one in Vietnam is left behind.

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