On the afternoon of September 26, at the headquarters of the Ministry of Ethnic Minorities and Religions, Deputy Minister Nguyen Hai Trung chaired a meeting and worked with Senate Norasate Prachyakorn - Chairman of the Committee for Political Development, Public participation, Human Rights, Rights, freedom and Consumer Protection (hereinafter referred to as the Committee) under the Thai Senate and the working delegation of the Committee.
According to Deputy Minister Nguyen Hai Trung, Vietnam's ethnic work in recent times has been implemented towards three core goals, including: improving the material and spiritual life of ethnic minorities; promoting the internal strength, position and cultural identity of ethnic groups; strengthening the great national unity bloc, promoting comprehensive and sustainable development in ethnic minority and mountainous areas.
This goal is concretized by national mechanisms, aiming to improve and enhance the quality of life for ethnic minorities, including: financial - budget mechanisms, infrastructure investment mechanisms and economic development, education and training support mechanisms, health care mechanisms - health care mechanisms, cultural conservation mechanisms and national identity promotion mechanisms, social policies mechanisms - gender equality and children, management and direction of policy implementation mechanisms.
These mechanisms have created a breakthrough in improving the quality of life, sustainable development and strengthening the trust of ethnic minorities in the Party and the State, towards a fair, prosperous and united society.
Referring to the overall socio-economic development plans in ethnic minority areas and sustainable poverty reduction and hunger eradication projects, Deputy Minister Nguyen Hai Trung cited the National Target Program for Socio-Economic Development in Ethnic Minority and Mountainous Areas for the period 2021-2030, phase I implemented from 2021 to 2025, including 10 component projects, 14 sub-projects, implementing 9 specific target groups to comprehensively care for all aspects of material and spiritual life for the people.
After 5 years of implementation, the Program has recorded many positive results and has a wide influence, contributing to promoting the socio-economic growth of ethnic minority areas of 7-8%/year, exceeding the national average. The rate of poor and near-poor households has decreased significantly (the rate of ethnic minority poor households in 2024 is only 12.55%, down 4% compared to the previous period). The infrastructure has been significantly improved: 99.3% of communes have car roads to the center, 92.2% of schools are solid, 98.1% of health stations are solid, the electricity usage rate is 98.9%, and the water is 94% hygienic.
In terms of culture - society, the conservation and promotion of national identity is effective, with many intangible cultural heritages recognized by UNESCO, 121 heritages are included in the national list. The rate of primary school students in general education reached 98.6%, middle school 96.4%, high school 75.4%. Improved health care: health insurance 93.8%, childbirth at medical facilities 95.5%, pregnant women have regular check-ups 87.1%.
drawing lessons from Vietnam's experience in developing and implementing policies for ethnic minorities, Deputy Minister of Ethnic Minorities and Religions Nguyen Hai Trung outlined some outstanding points.
Firstly, ensuring the leadership of the Party and unified management of the State helps policies be implemented synchronously, responsibly and in line with the reality of each locality.
Second, correctly and promptly identifying basic problems such as poverty, lack of land for production, education and poor health care is the foundation for designing effective solutions.
Third, the mechanism for feedback, supplementation, and timely adjustment of shortcomings helps perfect the policy towards comprehensiveness and sustainability...
Chairman of the Committee - Senator Norasate Prachyakorn believes that with Vietnam's correct policies, it will contribute to training human resources and generations of talented leaders who are ethnic minorities in the future.
Senator Norasate Prachyakorn also informed about ethnic minority groups in Thailand and some new points in ethnic and religious work in Thailand.
