Directive No. 1971/CT-TTg 2010 on national industrialization and modernization

DIRECTIVE

INTENSIFYING ETHNIC WORK IN THE PERIOD OF NATIONAL INDUSTRIALIZATION AND MODERNIZATION

THE PRIME MINISTER

Over the past years, Party committees and administrations at all levels and mass organizations from central to local level have concentrated on directing and organizing the implementation of ethnic work, creating an important improvement in the awareness and responsibility of the entire political system and social consensus on this work. The socio-economic situation in ethnic minority and mountainous areas has seen comprehensive changes: the poverty rate of ethnic minority households has much reduced (4-5% per year on average); material and spiritual lives of ethnic minority people have been remarkably improved; infrastructure facilities have been built and consolidated; more attention has been paid to houses, residential land, production land and daily-life water; positive improvements have been made in educational, cultural and healthcare services for the people; the political system has been step by step consolidated; cadres in charge of ethnic affairs have been trained, contributing to raising the effectiveness of ethnic work.

However, ethnic minority and mountainous areas, especially deep-lying, remote, border and island areas, still face numerous difficulties and challenges. Specifically, intellectual and development levels of ethnic groups are uneven, and the quality of their human resources remains very poor; the hunger and poverty rates in ethnic minority areas are still high (over 50% in many areas); the quality and effectiveness of education, training and healthcare are limited; infrastructure is slow to develop and incomplete, especially transport, irrigation, electricity, communication and other essential infrastructure facilities; economic and labor restructuring is slow, production activities are on a small scale, unplanned and uncompetitive while people s lives are fraught with difficulties.

Ethnic work is a task of the entire Party, people, army and political system. To effectively implement this work, mobilize to the utmost all resources for fast and sustainable socio-economic development, social stability and improvement of living conditions of ethnic minority and mountainous people in the period of industrialization, modernization and integration, the Prime Minister instructs ministries, sectors and central and local agencies to perform the following tasks:

1. In furtherance of the Resolution of the Party Central Committee s 7^thplenum (the IX^thCongress) and the Political Bureau s Conclusion No. 57-KL/TW of November 3, 2009, on ethnic work, to work out specific programs of action for the effective implementation of party and state guidelines and policies on ethnic work.

2. To speedup the implementation of policies, programs and projects in ethnic minority and mountainous areas; to review policies, programs and projects which are completed in 2010. thereby studying and proposing mechanisms, policies, programs and projects to provide investment support for ethnic minority and mountainous areas and ethnic minority people, then submit them to competent authorities for approval and organize their implementation during 2011-2015; at the same time, lo intensify inspection and supervision of the implementation of these policies, programs and projects; to take the initiative in mobilizing and combining resources for the implementation of programs and projects in areas, especially those hit by extreme difficulties.

3. Provincial-level People s Committees:

a/ To review, adjust and supplement socio­economic development master plans in ethnic minority and mountainous areas; master plans on production and processing development in association with population and technical infrastructure master plans; and to step up the transfer and application of sciences and technologies to production to create commodities of high added value;

b/ To step up economic restructuring; to renew forms of production organization (cooperatives or cooperative groups) as suitable to each ethnic minority area: to adopt necessary measures to develop household, farm and collective economies in ethnic minority areas;

c/ To focus on developing human resources, especially cadres within the grassroots political system and cadres with collegial and university degrees, for key commune-level positions in ethnic minority and mountainous areas; to adopt incentive policies on housing and working conditions for cadres and graduates of universities, colleges and professional secondary schools working in ethnic minority and mountainous areas, especially policies to attract ethnic minority graduates and cadres with high professional qualifications to return to work in their home localities; to renew forms of vocational training and rapidly raise the quality of human resources for ethnic minority areas;

d/ Together with central supports, to take the initiative in mobilizing lawful resources and combine them for socio-economic development and effectively implementing programs, projects and policies in localities to improve people s lives; to enhance coordination among sectors and levels, taking into account practical conditions, in settling pressing issues for people right at grassroots level, maintaining defense, security and social order and safety in localities, especially in important, border and island areas.

4. Ministries, sectors and central agencies:

a/ The .Committee for Ethnic Affairs shall review and assess development levels of regions (I, II and III) in ethnic and mountainous areas; to amend and adjust criteria for identifying ethnic minority and mountainous areas based on their development levels; to propose the formulation, amendment or supplementation of mechanisms, policies, programs and projects for comprehensive, fast and sustainable socio­economic development in ethnic minority and mountainous areas, especially areas hit by natural disasters, climate change or extreme difficulties, or deep-lying and remote areas during 2011 -2015 and beyond; to formulate specific policies for cadres in charge of ethnic affairs; to consolidate agencies in charge of ethnic affairs from central to local level; to build, consolidate and improve apparatuses and physical foundations of the Institute for Ethnic Affairs and the Training School for Ethnic Minority Cadres to facilitate them in scientific research; to propose policies towards and train and retrain cadres of agencies in charge of ethnic affairs;

b/ The Ministry of Planning and Investment shall study and propose specific investment mechanisms and policies for ethnic minority and mountainous areas; to promote investment and mobilize countries and international organizations to assist ethnic minority and mountainous areas, especially extreme difficulty-hit areas, in socio-economic development; to prioritize the development of infrastructure (transport, electricity, irrigation and communication) facilities;

c/ The Ministry of Finance shall assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with the Committee for Ethnic Affairs and concerned agencies in, guiding the use of funding sources for implementing policies, programs and projects in ethnic minority and mountainous areas; to intensify inspection and supervision to ensure proper and effective use of funding sources;

d/ The Ministry of Industry and Trade shall step up the implementation of industrial extension policies for ethnic minority and mountainous areas, giving priority to developing small- and medium-sized product processing and sale enterprises, industries, trade, and services as well as rural markets in ethnic minority and mountainous areas to meet industrialization and modernization requirements;

e/ The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development shall accelerate construction in ethnic minority and mountainous areas up to new-countryside standards under the Resolution of the Party Central Committee s 7^thplenum (the X^thCongress) on agriculture, farmers and rural areas, and the national target program on building a new countryside during 2010-2020; to formulate mechanisms and policies for increasing linkage among the State, enterprises, scientists and farmers in agricultural and rural development in ethnic minority and mountainous areas; and policies on land allocation and contractual allocation of forests to organizations, households, individuals and village/hamlet communities for effective and sustainable protection and development; to formulate and renew mechanisms and policies to increase village and hamlet cadres in charge of agricultural and forestry extension; to rapidly change small-scale and unplanned production practices and develop commodity production to meet export and international integration requirements;

f/ The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment shall step up the implementation of projects to upgrade natural disaster and climate change forecast systems, focusing on ethnic minority and mountainous areas frequented by storm, flood, inundation, flash flood or harsh weather;

g/ The Ministry of Science and Technology shall promote the research, application and transfer of advanced sciences and technologies to investment and support programs and projects in ethnic minority and mountainous areas;

h/ The Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs shall adopt solutions to effectively implement the Government s Resolution No. 30a and poverty reduction projects; and formulate vocational training, job generation and labor export programs targeting at ethnic minority people;

i/ The Ministry of Home Affairs shall adopt solutions to develop human resources in ethnic minority and mountainous areas; study and propose incentives to recruit and employ ethnic minority cadres in sectors and localities, especially female cadres and cadres of ethnic minority groups with a population of under 10.000; formulate regulations on management of students who return to work in their home localities after graduation, salaries and allowances for cadres working in ethnic minority and mountainous areas, especially those who have worked for many years, cadres with high professional qualifications and rotated cadres to work for at least 5 years in ethnic minority, border or extreme difficulty-hit areas;

j/ The Ministry of Education and Training shall study and propose amendment to the appointment-based enrollment policy by decentralizing localities to register their training needs in terms of both number of students and disciplines, to be applicable to all ethnic minorities living in difficulty-hit areas; the policy on transferability between boarding schools of lower and upper secondary levels, vocational training schools, colleges and universities; and specific policies for students who are children of ethnic minority groups with a population of under 5,000 in extreme difficulty-hit areas;

k/ The Ministry of Health shall direct the increase of investment in physical foundations and equipment for commune-level health stations, regional general clinics and district hospitals; study and propose policies to provide support directly for ethnic minority people in difficulty-hit areas to have access to medical examination and treatment, especially ethnic minority groups with a population of under 5,000, in order to limit the birth rate reduction and gender imbalance of infants in ethnic minority and mountainous areas; increase health workers for ethnic minority and mountainous areas, especially in areas hit by difficulties or extreme difficulties:

1/The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism shall review and propose amendments to mechanisms and policies on cultural work in ethnic minority, mountainous and border areas; direct localities in improving the operation of grassroots cultural institutions; step up cultural exchange, eliminate social evils and backward practices, step up the movement "All the people unite to build a cultured life" and build a civilized life in ethnic minority and mountainous areas:

m/ The Ministry of Public Security shall enhance measures to maintain political stability and security and social order and safety; resolutely fight hostile forces that abuse democracy, human rights, ethnic affairs and religions to undermine the cause of national development; and eliminate drug-related and other social evils in ethnic minority and mountainous areas;

n/ The Ministry of National Defense shall perform defense and security tasks in association with economic, cultural and social development; assist people in hunger elimination and poverty reduction, attaching importance to the construction of defense-economic zones and maintenance of border security and national sovereignty, especially in important, border and island areas:

o/ The Ministry of Foreign Affairs shall enhance international cooperation and people s diplomacy with countries and international organizations, particularly regional and neighboring countries; to disseminate party guidelines and policies and state laws on ethnic work; promote bilateral and multilateral cooperation on economic and cultural affairs and human resource training and development to serve ethnic work;

p/ The Ministry of Information and Communi­cations shall increase investment and raise the effectiveness of public information in forms suitable to each region and ethnic group and in ethnic minority languages; study and propose amendments to and formulate mechanisms and policies to support communication in ethnic minority and mountainous areas;

q/ The State Bank shall direct the Social Policy Bank to assume the prime responsibility for. and coordinate with the Ministry of Finance and concerned ministries and sectors in, reviewing and proposing amendments to credit mechanisms and policies applicable to entities in areas hit by difficulties or extreme difficulties.

5. The Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee shall assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with the Committee for Ethnic Affairs and socio-political mass organizations at all levels in. mobilizing people of different Vietnamese ethnic groups to step up patriotic emulation movements, raise the sense of self-help for self-improvement and consolidate the national great unity bloc and solidarity among local people of all strata; train and bring into play the role of typical and prestigious persons in ethnic minority areas.

6. Ministers, heads of ministerial-level agencies, heads of government-attached agencies and mass organizations central agencies, and chairpersons of provincial-level People s Committees shall organize the effective implementation of this Directive and annually report it to the Committee for Ethnic Affairs.

The Minister-Chairman of the Committee for Ethnic Affairs shall monitor, urge, review and annually report on the implementation of this Directive to the Prime Minister.-