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Vietnam’s human development index jumps two places to 115th
  • | Nhan Dan | April 26, 2017 06:31 PM
Vietnam has moved up two places from two years ago to 115th out of 188 countries and territories on the global human development index (HDI) rankings, according to a report released by the United Nations Development Programme.

The UNDP said Vietnam’s position improved thanks to higher income and better healthcare quality.

Vietnam’s inequality-adjusted human development index is also at the average level with a 17.8% difference from the HDI value, the best performing country in the Asia-Pacific region.

According to the UNDP report, ethnic minorities and migrants from rural areas are being left behind in Vietnam.

The inequality between ethnic minorities and other demographic groups has improved but still remains large, with the poverty rate among ethnic people standing at 23% compared with only 7% of the national average.

The report points out several reasons for widespread poverty among ethnic minority communities including geographical disadvantages, social prejudices against empowerment and access to public services.

Meanwhile migrants are not poor in terms of income but are living in multi-dimensional poverty and face marked inequality compared with local residents as a result of institutional and policy issues.

According to UNDP Country Director for Vietnam Louise Chamberlain it is necessary for the government to recognise the reasons why ethnic minorities are left behind based on qualitative research and views from those communities in order to adopt more appropriate policies.

Deputy Chairman of the Committee for Ethnic Affairs Le Son Hai said in the time ahead the agency will fine-tune policies in order to bring about major social and economic changes to regions inhabited by ethnic minority communities.

He expressed his belief that with the special attention of the central government and support of the UNDP, measures to improve the living standards of ethnic minorities will be thoroughly implemented, helping to realise sustainable development goals.

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