Decision 771/QD-TTg 2021 on integration of population factors into socio-economic development

DECISION

Promulgating the Regulation on integration of population factors into national, regional, sectoral and local socio-economic development strategies, plans, programs and projects^[1]

THE PRIME MINISTER

Pursuant to the June 19, 2015 Law on Organization of the Government; and the November 22, 2019 Law Amending and Supplementing a Number of Articles of the Law on Organization of the Government and the Law on Organization of Local Administration;

Pursuant to Resolution No. 21-NQ/TW of October 25, 2017, of the Sixth Plenum of the XII^th Party Central Committee, on strengthening population work in the new situation;

Pursuant to the Government’s Resolution No. 137/NQ-CP of December 31, 2017, promulgating the Government’s Action Plan to implement Resolution No. 21-NQ/TW of October 25, 2017, of the Sixth Plenum of the XII^th Party Central Committee, on population work in the new situation;

Pursuant to the Prime Minister’s Decision No. 1679/QD-TTg of November 22, 2019, approving the Vietnam Population Strategy to 2030;

At the proposal of the Minister of Planning and Investment,

DECIDES:

Article 1. To approve the Regulation on integration of population factors into national, regional, sectoral and local socio-economic development strategies, plans, programs and projects, including the following principal contents:

I. GENERAL PROVISIONS

1. Scope of regulation: This Decision guides the principles, contents and procedures for integrating population factors into national, regional, sectoral and local socio-economic development strategies, plans, programs and projects.

2. Subjects of application: Ministries, ministerial-level agencies, central bodies of socio-political organizations, and provincial-level People’s Committees when formulating and implementing national, regional, sectoral and local socio-economic development strategies, plans, programs and projects.

3. Population factors include size, structure and distribution of population by territory. These factors are always affected directly by the population process (birth, death and migration) and affect development outcomes (income, employment, education, health care, living environment, etc.). Population factors need to be assessed in terms of their current situation and future trends in each territory in the formulation and implementation of socio-economic development strategies, plans, programs and projects of all levels and in all sectors.

4. Objectives:

a/ To raise awareness about the relationship between population factors and socio-economic development, serving as a basis for identifying appropriate, timely and effective goals, targets, tasks and solutions.

b/ To align needs and interests of population groups, ensuring that all people, especially disadvantaged groups, enjoy the fruits of socio-economic development; to ensure the implementation of the goals of the Vietnam Population Strategy to 2030.

c/ To serve as a basis for mobilizing resources for socio-economic development, synchronously addressing economic, social, population and environmental issues in each locality as well as on a national scale.

5. Principles of integration:

a/ Ensuring conformity with national socio-economic development strategies and overall master plans, national sectoral master plans, regional master plans and master plans approved by competent authorities.

b/ Striving for the goal of sustainable development and handling the relationships between population and development; ensuring conformity with the objectives of the Vietnam Population Strategy to 2030.

c/ Ensuring that population factors are the center in all steps of the process of formulating and implementing socio-economic development strategies, plans, programs and projects to achieve the objectives and targets of the Vietnam Population Strategy to 2030, suitable to each period, each stage and reality of ministries, sectors and localities.

II. PROCESS OF INTEGRATING POPULATION FACTORS INTO SOCIO-ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES, PLANS, PROGRAMS AND PROJECTS

1. Organization of the formulation of socio-economic development strategies, plans, programs and projects

a/ Issuing guiding documents

- At the national level: The Ministry of Planning and Investment shall assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with the Ministry of Finance and related ministries and sectors in, advising and submitting to the Prime Minister for promulgation a Directive on the formulation of socio-economic development strategies and plans.

Such Directive must define the responsibilities of ministries, sectors and localities to study and integrate population factors into the process of formulating socio-economic development strategies, plans, programs and projects to ensure adaptation to population change.

- At the sectoral/field and local levels: Pursuant to the Prime Minister’s Directive and current legal documents, ministers, heads of ministerial-level agencies and government-attached agencies, and chairpersons of provincial-level People’s Committees shall promulgate documents directing the formulation of sectoral and local socio-economic development strategies, plans, programs and projects into which population factors are integrated to ensure adaptation to population change.

b/ Developing an implementation roadmap

Development of an implementation roadmap includes: (1) Situation assessment; (2) Identification of general goals and specific objectives and targets; (3) Identification of tasks and solutions; and (4) Development of public investment plans and estimation of budget funds for the planning period.

2. Integration of population factors in the situation assessment

a/ Assessing the situation

- Comprehensively assessing socio-economic conditions and changes in population factors, and identifying the relationship between socio-economic factors and population factors as a basis for establishing the goals, targets, tasks and solutions to fundamentally resolve the relationship between population and development on the basis of bringing into play the potential and advantages of the country, sectors/fields and localities.

- Assessing trends of changes in population factors, and specifically identifying affected areas and priority population groups as a basis for identifying the objectives, tasks and intervention solutions of strategies, plans, programs and projects in line with population change.

- Assessing the objectives, tasks and solutions to mobilize and effectively use resources and the projected impacts of socio-economic development strategies, plans, programs and projects.

b/ Identifying priority issues

- Analyzing the cause-and-effect relationship between the factors, especially population factors, to identify causes and influencing factors.

- Identifying target population groups (characteristics, direct and indirect impacts) in socio-economic development strategies, plans, programs and projects.

- Identifying trends of population change and demand for population-related services; identifying the objectives and projected impacts of intervention solutions.

- Anticipating needs and resources for the implementation of socio-economic development strategies, plans, programs and projects.

- Consulting the community and stakeholders, especially directly affected target groups and disadvantaged groups (ethnic minorities, the poor, the elderly, children, etc.) to ensure consensus and effectiveness in implementation.

3. Integration of population factors in identifying objectives, targets, tasks and implementation solutions

The integration of population factors in identifying objectives, targets and implementation solutions must reflect the common concerns of all population groups, aiming to improve social welfare and resolve inequalities faced by disadvantaged groups, based on the following criteria:

a/ Complying with the resolutions of Party congresses at all levels on socio-economic development orientations, population strategies, and sectoral and local master plans, and conforming to forecasts on the population, economy, environment and society.

b/ Meeting the basic needs of population groups in terms of hunger eradication and poverty reduction, food security, healthcare, education and training, nutrition, clean water, environmental sanitation, and social protection, etc., ensuring harmonization of interests of population groups.

c/ Prioritizing highly feasible objectives and solutions which help mobilize financial resources; create spillover effects, promote social progress and equity, and maintain sustainable outcomes.

d/ Conforming to the results of review and analysis and proposing revisions and improvements to existing mechanisms and policies; ensuring the interactive relationship of the system of mechanisms and policies for socio-economic development to adapt to population change in each period.

4. Integration of population factors in resource allocation

Basic requirements in selecting programs and projects suitable to the ability to mobilize resources:

a/ Conforming to the priority issues of population groups, and the level of direct and indirect impacts on each population group.

b/ Identifying the relationship between programs and projects; integrating to-be-selected programs and projects with programs and projects that have been and are being implemented to promote investment efficiency; fully analyzing cost and efficiency factors.

c/ Suiting the ability to balance resources according to regulations on delegation of powers for state budget management, ensuring efficient use of resources for socio-economic development.

d/ Stepping up the implementation of socialization policies in order to mobilize funding sources for implementing plans, programs and projects.

III. INTEGRATION OF POPULATION FACTORS IN THE ORGANIZATION, MONITORING AND EVALUATION OF THE IMPLEMENTATION OF SOCIO-ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES, PLANS, PROGRAMS AND PROJECTS

1. Integration of population factors in the organization of implementation

a/ Disseminating the contents of socio-economic development strategies, plans, programs and projects into which population factors are integrated for leaders at all levels and of all sectors, discussing and identifying implementation solutions.

b/ Formulating action plans to implement socio-economic development strategies, plans, programs and projects to adapt to population change, assigning specific responsibilities of focal-point units and coordination units, and specifying time of completion.

c/ Reviewing current programs and projects and service provision mechanisms, eliminating contradictions, overlaps and duplications in the organization of implementation; strengthening coordination with on-going programs, projects and activities.

d/ Involving the community, the private sector and local people in the implementation organization.

2. Integration of population factors in monitoring and evaluation

a/ Monitoring, supervising, inspecting and evaluating the implementation and adjusting the plans, programs and projects in order to promote the implementation of the set objectives, promptly detecting and handling arising problems.

b/ Monitoring and evaluating the implementation of plans, programs and projects into which population factors are integrated in order to assess the level of achievement according to the objectives and impacts on the target population groups.

c/ Implementing the regulations on community-based supervision in monitoring and evaluation to make appropriate conclusions and recommendations.

Article 2. Organization of implementation

1. Responsibilities of the Ministry of Planning and Investment

a/ To assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Finance and related ministries and sectors in, organizing the integration of population factors into socio-economic development strategies, plans, programs and projects of ministries, sectors and localities.

b/ To develop a system of statistical indicators, statistical reporting regime, statistical investigation program and statistical classification in accordance with law. To coordinate the connection and provision of data and information between state statistical information systems; to provide statistical information in accordance with law.

c/ To monitor, evaluate and report on the integration of population factors into socio-economic development strategies and plans. To propose to the Government and Prime Minister necessary measures to ensure synchronous and effective implementation.

2. Responsibilities of the Ministry of Health

a/ To assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with the Ministry of Planning and Investment, Ministry of Finance and related ministries and sectors in, guiding the integration of population factors into socio-economic development strategies, plans, programs and projects of the health sector.

b/ To develop and promulgate a system of indicators and indexes on population and health; to provide statistical information on population and health in accordance with law.

c/ To guide, examine and summarize the integration of population factors into socio-economic development strategies, plans, programs and projects of the health sector. To periodically report on and review implementation results according to regulations.

3. Responsibilities of ministries, ministerial-level agencies and government-attached agencies

a/ Ministers, heads of ministerial-level agencies and heads of government-attached agencies shall, within the ambit of their assigned functions, competence and tasks, direct the effective integration of population factors into their sectoral socio-economic development strategies, plans, programs and projects.

b/ To monitor, supervise, evaluate and periodically report on results of the integration of population factors into socio-economic development strategies, plans, programs and projects according to regulations.

4. Responsibilities of localities

a/ To direct and guide the integration of population factors into local socio-economic development strategies, plans, programs and projects.

b/ To monitor, supervise, evaluate and periodically report on results of the integration of population factors into socio-economic development strategies, plans, programs and projects according to regulations.

5. Funds for the integration of population factors into socio-economic development strategies, plans, programs and projects shall be included in annual budget expenditure estimates of ministries, sectors and localities according to regulations.

6. In the course of implementation of this Decision, if facing any difficulties or obstacles, ministries, ministerial-level agencies, government-attached agencies, and provincial-level People’s Committees shall actively coordinate with the Ministry of Planning and Investment in summarizing and reporting any revisions to specific contents of this Decision to the Prime Minister for consideration and decision.

Article 3. This Decision takes effect on the date of signing.

Article 4. Ministers, heads of ministerial-level agencies, heads of government-attached agencies, chairpersons of provincial-level People’s Committees, and related agencies, organizations and individuals shall implement this Decision.-

For the Prime Minister
Deputy Prime Minister
LE MINH KHAI