Social News 12/12 Vietnam, Russia co-work to study Ho Chi Minh’s thought More than 5,000 pages of document related to President Ho Chi Minh had been collected in Russia under a cooperation project to popularise the late President’s thought. The work was carried out by the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics (HNAP) and the Saint Petersburg State University (SPSU)’s Ho Chi Minh Institute of Russia, announced a conference in Hanoi on December 10 to review the cooperative project. The project aimed to study and collect documentations on President Ho Chi Minh during the time when he lived and worked in Russia, participants heard. As part of the project, the two sides co-organised a scientific workshop in Saint Petersburg city on the occasion of the 125 th birthday of President Ho Chi Minh. The event contributed to strengthening traditional relations between Vietnam and Russia. A room displaying photos, documents and objects featuring the President’s life and career was set up in SPSU, enabling its students’ research studies on the topic. Documents on the Vietnamese leader collected in Russia will be useful for the two countries’ generations, especially young people, who are interested in enquiring about Ho Chi Minh thought, helping them get insights into Vietnam’s cultural values as well as time-honoured friendship between the two countries. Within the framework of the project, HNAP also implemented scientific studies on Nguyen Ai Quoc’s activities in the Soviet Union from 1923-1938; the value of Ho Chi Minh’s thoughts and morality and the role played by the Vietnamese leader in laying the foundation for Vietnam-Russia friendship and comprehensive cooperation. At the conference, representatives from the two academies discussed their future cooperation orientations. President visits culture-tourism village in Ha Giang President Truong Tan Sang made a fact-finding tour of the community-based culture-tourism village in Phuong Do commune in the northern mountainous province of Ha Giang on December 10. Home to Tay ethnic minorities, Phuong Do commune has leveraged on its natural advantages, stilt-houses architecture, and folk arts to build cultural villages and eco-tourist sites, which are attractive to both domestic and foreign visitors. Secretary of the provincial Party Committee Trieu Tai Vinh said the development of culture villages in the commune is expected to boost local economy and preserve traditional culture. After inspecting “home-stay” services in Ha Thanh hamlet, President Truong Tan Sang hailed local authorities for integrating rural development with preservation of ethnic cultural identities. The President said building new-style rural areas must bring pragmatic benefits for local residents, citing tourism as a promising sector to be developed. The same day, President Sang presented 20 cows to poor households in border districts of Vi Xuyen district. He later worked with the Economic-Defence Corps 313 of the provincial Military Command which is responsible for managing Xin Man and Vi Xuyen defence-economic zones. Despite difficulties, the soldiers have helped the localities reduce poverty, built roads, irrigation systems, and disarmed bombs and mines to bring facelift to border communes. President Sang asked the corps and authorities to further improve local living standards, especially through the national “cow bank” programme for poor border localities, and pay heed to protecting and developing natural resources in the border areas. The State leader also offered incense and floral tribute to 1,700 fallen soldiers at the Vi Xuyen cemetery. Vietnam, Lao provinces step up border cooperation The Border Guard Command of Vietnam’s central province of Thanh Hoa and the Military Command of Laos’ northern province of Houaphan signed a Memorandum of Understanding on border cooperation during their senior officials’ talks in Thanh Hoa on December 10. The two sides agreed to hold periodic or abrupt joint patrols along the shared borderlines to promptly prevent illegal migration and cultivation as well as drug, weapon, and human trafficking. They will also enhance local awareness of implementing the bilateral agreement on border regulations, and support Laos ’ needy children to go to school. In 2015, the pair has closely worked together to combat all types of crime. They notably brought to light the drug ring in Houaphan’s Sam Neua, Viengxay districts and Thanh Hoa’s Na Meo border town, arresting four smugglers and seizing nearly 39,000 synthetic pills. Vietnamese and Lao officials have also coordinated to ensure border safety and security, contributing to the development of traditional, special friendship and comprehensive cooperation between the two countries. The Military Command of Houaphan has also created favourbale conditions for the Border Guard Command and Military Command of Thanh Hoa to search, gather and repatriate remains of Vietnamese volunteers and experts who laid down their lives in Laos. At the talks, the Border Guard Command of Thanh Hoa proposed the Military Command of Houaphan deploy forces in the shared border areas to facilitate bilateral coordination in border protection and management. Meanwhile, Lao officials suggested Vietnamese counterpart further support in the field. Vietnam – Laos Youth friendship exchange held in Dien Bien A two-day exchange for Vietnamese and Lao youth was held in the northern mountainous province of Dien Bien on December 9-10. The activity looked to foster the friendship between the provincial chapter of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union and the Lao People’s Revolutionary Youth Unions of the Lao northern provinces of Luang Prabang, Oudomxay and Phongsaly. During a seminar held as part of the exchange, Secretary of the provincial chapter of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union Mua A Vang highlighted the traditional friendship, the special solidarity and the comprehensive cooperation between Vietnam and Laos, which were founded by Presidents Ho Chi Minh and Kaysone Phomvihane and nurtured by generations of the two nations. Over the past years, the youth of Dien Bien and the Lao localities have jointly conducted a wide range of practical activities to support each other. Lao representatives called on the host to provide more support in personnel training and assist Lao students currently studying in Dien Bien. The two sides signed the cooperation minutes covering experience sharing, cross-border crime prevention, and trade cooperation. The Lao delegation took part in sport games and art performances and visited the Dien Bien Phu Victory historical sites during their stay. Fund promotes public participation in law making Over the past two and a half years, the Public Participation and Accountability Facilitation Fund (PARAFF) has financed 49 projects in 30 cities and provinces nationwide, contributing to the 13th National Assembly’s law-building programme. The outcomes were revealed at a meeting in Hanoi on December 10 to review the implementation of the fund. Launched in September 2012, the 2.2 million USD fund is supported by Denmark and the UK Department for International Development. It seeks to promote public participation and accountability in law making and policy development by strengthening the engagement of non-governmental organisations in these processes at national and sub-national levels as well as in monitoring the policy and law enforcement. Addressing the event, Vice Chairman of the National Assembly’s Office Nguyen Sy Dung highlighted the fund’s contributions to supporting Vietnamese non-governmental organisations and people to partake in law making and policy development as well as in supervising law and policy enforcement. The deeper participation will help Vietnamese citizens feel they are respected and State agencies ensure their accountability, transparency and publicity, he said. Vietnamese non-governmental organisations have played a significant role in sending voices and aspirations of the public to law and decision makers at all levels, Dung added. Danish Ambassador to Vietnam Charlotte Laursen noted with pleasure the results brought about by the fund in improving the capacity of Vietnamese non-governmental organisations and citizens in contributing to law making and decision development. Conference seeks to tackle poverty in northwest region A conference was held in Hanoi on December 10 to seek rapid and sustainable poverty reduction measures for the northwestern region, where the number of low-income households is highest in Vietnam. The Steering Committee for the Northwestern Region reported that the region, and its worst poverty-hit provinces of Ha Giang, Cao Bang, Yen Bai, Son La, Dien Bien and Lai Chau in particular, have made certain progress in infrastructure development thanks to various resources and national target programmes. The region’s household poverty rate dropped from 34.41 percent in late 2010 to 18.26 percent at the end of 2014, an average annual decrease of 3.91 percent. Vice Chairman of the Lai Chau People’s Committee Le Trong Quang said his province, the most deprived locality in Vietnam, has made efforts to escape from poverty. It has cut down the rate of poor families by 5 percent every year to 21 percent by the end of 2015. At the conference, World Bank’s Country Director for Vietnam Victoria Kwakwa said Vietnam has reaped impressive accomplishments in poverty reduction, including those relating to non-income indicators like health care, nutrition and education. It is in the right direction. However, those attainments have not lived up to expectations, and the country needs to make more efforts, she noted. Sharing the same view, Deputy PM Phuc said many regional localities have not ensured sustainable poverty elimination. The six above-mentioned provinces form the “core of poverty” of the country. The average household poverty rate there ranges between 20 and 30 percent, he stressed, adding that the figure will be much higher if it is calculated by the multidimensional poverty measurement method. The newly-issued method, applied from 2016 to 2020, evaluates poverty with regard to people’s access to health care, education, accommodation, clean water, hygiene, and information. Victoria Kwakwa said despite a poverty decline, the development gap among northwestern provinces has not been narrowed and poverty still concentrates in the region. At the conference, a number of measures were suggested to get rid of poverty, including the provision of concessional loans in the principle of conditional support so as to improve beneficiaries’ awareness and responsibility. State agencies should issue favourable policies to attract businesses’ investment in agriculture, forestry, tourism and services that could generate jobs for local residents, participants said. Deputy PM Phuc noted it is vital to prevent the “disease of achievement” in poverty elimination, adding that northwestern provinces must step up socio-economic development by tapping into regional advantages like agriculture, forestry, processing industry, tourism, services and cross-border economic activities. He also underlined the necessity of bettering the local business climate to attract domestic and foreign investment and boost widespread connectivity to fuel mass production. Poverty reduction must be the focal mission of the entire political system, especially in northwestern provinces, the official said, asking for increased communications and support to help locals escape from poverty by themselves. Under the multidimensional poverty standards, comprehensive and result-oriented measures must be employed to simultaneously raise people’s income and access to basic social services, ultimately ensuring sustainable poverty eradication, he emphasised. 61 Central Highlands communes meet new rural area standards A total of 61 communes in the Central Highlands region have met new-style rural area standards, 45 communes of which have been recognised as new-style rural areas, according to the Central Highlands Steering Committee. The central highlands provinces are giving a push to the construction of new-style rural areas, contributing to changing rural appearance and increasing livelihoods of ethnic minority groups in the region. Lam Dong province pops up as a sparkling locality in new-style rural area building with 43 communes and a district meeting all the criteria. The province has mobilised nearly 33.6 trillion VND (1.5 billion USD) for the programme, with just 3.58 trillion VND (158.9 million USD) coming from state budget. The bulk of investment was contributed by local residents, enterprises and other organisations. The efforts have paid off, with stable agricultural growth, improving living conditions for local residents and better ecological environment, among others Don Duong district in the province became the first locality in the region fulfilling 19 criteria for modern rural area. High-tech production has been applied in over 72 percent of the agricultural land in the district, which helps local farmers earn 150 million VND (6,700 USD) per hectare. Poverty rate in the district has dropped to 1.3 percent and the rate among ethnic minority households stands at only 3 percent. The Central Highlands region is comprised of five provinces: Dak Lak, Dak Nong, Gia Lai, Kon Tum and Lam Dong. Vietnam interested in global humanitarian issues Vietnam’s growing concern about a series of global negative issues was shared at the General Debate of the 32nd International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent in Geneva, Switzerland, from December 8-10. Ambassador Nguyen Trung Thanh, Head of Vietnam’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations and other international organisations in Geneva, led a Vietnamese delegation to attend the event, which focused on urgent humanitarian issues in the context of increasing armed conflicts over the world. In his speech at the event, the Ambassador said Vietnam takes interest in some heart-breaking news, from bombings to killings, migration to climate change as they are posing a blunt and brutal challenge to humanity. “Vietnam knows only too well the massive suffering caused by armed conflicts, especially among civilians,” Thanh stressed, adding that even after more than forty years since its end, the US war continues to inflict most brutal and countless consequences on tens of thousands of Vietnamese people. He stressed the need to hold regular dialogues among nations as well as enhance compliance with the International Humanitarian Law (IHL), particularly the Geneva Conventions 1949 and their Additional Protocols. He added that the conference should focus on the implementation of IHL on the principal basis of voluntary, non-contextual consensus and non-politicisation, rather than formulating amendments to or even new norms for the existing IHL treaties. “In relation to the protection of persons deprived of their liberty, our discussions seem to call for continued deliberation in order to eventually achieve further progress needed to ensure legal protection for persons deprived of their liberty in the context of non-international armed conflicts (NIACs), especially in prudently determining the body of international law governing the treatment of detainees in NIACs,” he voiced. The Vietnamese official also showed concern about the issue of sexual and gender-based violence during and post armed conflicts, while denouncing the violence in all forms and manifestations against women especially child girls who suffer most during and even after armed conflicts. Vietnam backs practical measures to raise awareness on and elimination of sexual and gender-based violence and has in fact engaged in various programmes, domestic and international, in consistence with the UN Security Council’s Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security, Thanh stated. The global strengths of the Red Cross and Red Crescent were built up by its communities at the local level. The organisation has 17 million volunteers and has established its presence in more than 165,000 local branches from the largest cities to the most remote villages in 190 countries. The Vietnam Red Cross Society joined the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement on November 4, 1957 during the IFRC General Assembly in New Delhi, India. Vietnam, China join hands in mine clearance along border The work of clearing mines in the shared border areas is a regular and necessary mission of Vietnam and China, said Foreign Ministry Deputy Spokesperson Pham Thu Hang. The diplomat was replying reporters’ queries regarding China’s demining campaign along the Vietnam-China border at a press briefing in Hanoi on December 10. Vietnamese competent agencies have coordinated closely and asked the Chinese side to ensure the maximum safety of local residents and their property during the demining course, Hang said. The mine clearance operation aims to guarantee the safety for local residents and their property, she noted. It is to facilitate production and promote cooperation in trade and tourism as well as people-to-people exchange in the border area, she said. Vocational training aims to meet international, regional standards The vocational training strategy for 2016-2020 aims to focus on a number of key occupations with a view to improving workers’ skills in these fields up to international and regional standards. It also targets to raise the rate of labourers with vocational training to 63 percent of the workforce by 2020 during a conference on December 9 in Ho Chi Minh City reviewing the implementation of the strategy in 2011-2015 and set the orientations for the next five years. The event, organised by the General Department of Vocational Training under the Ministry of Labour, War Invalids and Social Affairs (MoLISA) also looked into the implementation of the “Vocational training reform and development” project under the National Target Programme on Employment and Vocational Training in the 2011-2015 period. Addressing the event, MoLISA Deputy Minister Huynh Van Ti acknowledged the achievements the sector has made over the past five years, adding that numerous challenges have yet remained in the development of human resource and infrastructure in the international and regional integration. Participants called for improving State management of vocational training and re-arranging the network of vocational institutions. Other measures focus on enhancing the capability of teaching and managing staff, developing relevant curricula, fostering international cooperation and boosting the partnership with enterprises. According to General Director of the Department Duong Duc Lan, 59 provinces and cities have established their own vocational training colleges, with high autonomy and technology application in teaching, managing and staff building. The rate of workers having received training now stands at 38.5 percent of the workforce. NA stands firm on timber tax Valuable woods are not subject to a resource tax decrease for fears it might unintentionally trigger worsening deforestation, voted the National Assembly's Standing Committee (NASC) yesterday. The debate on wood taxes was sparked as the NASC weighed in on the draft of the amended natural resource tax resolution yesterday morning. The amendments were deemed by the Government as essential to help protect the country's natural resources while at the same time encouraging the advanced processing industry, said the NA Deputy Chairman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan. Contrary to other types of natural resources which were supposed to see a slight rise in the tax charges, timber products, according to the draft decree, were to receive a cut in tax rates. Accordingly, taxes applied on products made from timber categorised in the first and second groups of the national woods lists, including those considered as rare and of top-notch quality like sindora or ebony, were planned to be slashed the hardest by up to five per cent down to 30 and 25 per cent respectively. The NA's Committee on Social Affairs Chairman Truong Thi Mai agreed on the tax cuts, saying that it would help to raise the income of the residents who lived on the forests. "There were forest caretaker families who managed to earn only VND6 million (US$266) a year," said Mai. "It is not rightful thinking that lowering taxes might lead to more severe deforestation. If that happens, bad management is to blame, not the low taxes". The NA's Committee on Ethnic Minority Affairs Chairman Ksor Phuoc, meanwhile, paid more attention to the sharp tax cuts in the timber products of wood groups I and II when their original high taxes were set for a reason, to discourage exploitation. "Domestic group I and II woods are not much left with most of the timber are imported to Viet Nam from Cambodia and Laos," he said. The forest amount of the first three wood groups were on the decreasing trend yet the reasons were still unclear so far, he added. Until the Government managed to clarify those causes, the tax cuts on those groups, about two per cent with group III, might lead to some unexpected consequences. "Therefore I think we should hold still the tax rates on those three groups in the meantime," he said. His idea was agreed upon by the NASC, concluding that taxes on timber products would stick to the original reduction plan except for the first three wood groups. The amended decree was later voted through by a majority and would come into effect on July 1, 2016 to replace Resolution 712. HCM City seeks to fill job vacancies There will be 270,000 jobs available in HCM City next year, half of them new ones, the city's Human Resource Forecast and Labour Market Information Centre has reported. They will be mostly in sectors like information technology, mechanical engineering, import-export warehousing and transportation, garment and textiles, leather and footwear, tourism services – hospitality, finance – credit – banking, healthcare, education and vocational training, translation and interpretation. Amid Viet Nam's economic integration through accession to the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and the ASEAN Economy Community (AEC) and its signing of free trade agreements, the economy is growing and creating more jobs. Next year the job market will require quality, trained professionals who can meet the needs of foreign companies in Viet Nam and abroad. "Professional skills that are accepted across the AEC will be the foundation for the movement of workers within ASEAN and around the world," Tran Anh Tuan, deputy director of the centre, said. "And this will be a challenge for Vietnamese workers. "Integration will create more job opportunities but with higher requirements in terms of professional skills, foreign languages, creative capability, communication, teamwork, discipline and responsibility." Forum focuses on workforce supply, demand "Planning for Skills Training that Meets Labour Market Needs," a two-day event that ended on Wednesday, presented the process used to conduct labour market needs assessments in Binh Thuan, Hau Giang and Vinh Long provinces. The policy dialogue is part of the Viet Nam Skills for Employment Project (VSEP), a $20 million project funded by Canada to help Viet Nam strengthen its technical and professional education and training system. This year's policy dialogue began with a presentation on the recently conducted labour market needs assessment in Binh Thuan by a Canadian specialist who has helped several countries around the world align their hospitality/tourism programming with the country needs and the manager of a four-star resort hotel in Mui Ne. Two Canadian college officials presented best practices at Canadian colleges in aligning college programmes with local and regional labour market needs. The two sessions were followed by policy dialogues to engage stakeholders in discussions on the relevance to Viet Nam of these best practices from Canada and elsewhere and challenges facing their implementation. The event concludes with the formulation of policy recommendations to improve human resource planning and better align the skills of the workforce with the needs of industry. Gov't budget supports gender equality Budget spending for female workers at State offices or enterprises needs to be financially disclosed, Vietnamese experts and UN Women officials agreed at a seminar on gender equality in Ha Noi yesterday. The participants said that it was essential to raise awareness among leaders of State agencies and entrepreneurs about using the budget for female officials. The seminar was jointly organised by the Ministry of Finance's National Institute for Finance, and United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women. A concept of "gender responsive budgeting" was defined as the process of planning and budgeting of the Government in an attempt to promote gender equality and to exercise women's rights. A Government's gender responsive budgeting aimed to raise awareness among stakeholders of gender issues embedded in budgets and policies, to make governments accountable for translating their gender equality commitments into budgetary commitments, and to change budgets and policies to promote gender equality. Nguyen Viet Loi, director of the Finance Institute for Finance said the gender responsive budgeting had been becoming popular and produced the desired effect in many countries in the world, including Nepal, Australia, the Philippines. The Vietnamese Government and ministries were interested in gender responsive budgeting but the implementation of such supporting policies is far from the target, Loi said. Poor women could borrow loans from Viet Nam Bank for Social Policies, he added. The State had priorities and corporate income tax incentives for businesses that extensively use female workers. Production, construction and transportation enterprises that hire 10 to 100 female labourers to account for more than 50 per cent of all labourers enjoy reduced business income tax. The Ministry of Education and Training had carried out free illiteracy eradication programmes for women aged 35 to 40 in ethnic minority areas and difficult socio-economic circumstances. "Each ministry or economic sector must determine their big problems and outline tactical strategies," the institute director said. Shoko Ishikawa, UN Women's Viet Nam Country Representative said lack of attention to gender issues in policy analysis has limited the ability to mainstream gender in the formulation of policies and the allocation of adequate budgets. In Viet Nam, the majority of vocational training programmes for women are short term and usually focus on women's traditional occupations such as tailoring and garment making. These jobs were often low paid, leaving women disadvantaged compared to men regarding opportunities to access the labour market, she said. The Viet Nam's National Strategy on Gender Equality (2011-2020 term) was developed with seven objectives and 22 specific targets in many fields of politics, economy, labour and employment, education and training, health, culture, information and family. It also strengthens State management of gender equality. Northwest residents struggle to escape from prolonged poverty The level of poverty in the northwest region of Viet Nam is 2.7 times higher than in the rest of the country. This was announced at a conference yesterday to discuss rapid and sustainable poverty reduction measures in the six northwest provinces of Ha Giang, Cao Bang, Yen Bai, and Son La, apart from Dien Bien, and Lai Chau, which have a high rate of poverty. Viet Nam had recorded achievements in poverty alleviation over the last few years and realised the poverty reduction goal set by the United Nations ahead of the deadline, Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said. In many regions, including the northwest provinces, the level of poverty was still high though it had decreased sharply as compared to a decade earlier, Phuc said. Favourable policy mechanisms and resources had been given to the northwest region to help the locality reduce poverty levels quickly, Phuc said. However, poverty in the northwest region was 2.7 times higher than the average poverty of the whole country due to disadvantages in terms of natural conditions, cultivation, poor infrastructure, and low intellectual levels, in addition to the unique practices in the region, according to Phuc. The gap between the northwest and the rest of the country was widening, Phuc said. Reducing poverty in this region had been the toughest task in realising the nation's goal, he said. "Poverty reduction measures should be implemented in a synchronised, comprehensive and effective way, so that locals get a better salary and have full access to basic social services at the same time. It is very important that the root causes of poverty are identified and eliminated," Phuc said. "Measures should be based on root cause of poverty and vary in different regions". The deputies agreed on solutions to reduce poverty in the six northwest provinces. Preferential loans within a limited period should be replaced with the current policy of granting money to create a higher sense of responsibility among the poor as well as avoid their attitude of dependency on government support. In addition, policies attracting investment in agriculture, forestry, and tourism need to be made available to create jobs for rural labourers in poor areas. HCM to prosecute two smuggling enterprises Two companies located in HCM City, Hiep Binh Phuoc JSC. and Nam Phuong Luxury Ltd, are facing prosecution for smuggling prohibited goods in early September this year. Decisions No.16/QD-TCHQ and 17/QD-TCHQ have been issued by the General Department of Viet Nam Customs to officially charge these two companies. The anti-smuggling police, customs officials and the city police discovered four containers of electronic goods and cosmetics, worth VND6 billion (US$267,800) transported illegally through Hiep Phuoc International Port. The companies initially declared their imported goods as used machinery such as lawn mowers, industrial sewing machines, welding machines, and grinding machines, in addition to plastic beads. However, due to the tip-off they had received, the anti-smuggling forces stopped the customs clearance and began to investigate the entire shipment. As a result, the working group discovered that the goods in the container were used television sets, refrigerators, air conditioners and medical equipment, which are prohibited by the State. The container also had shampoos from Thailand, Meiji milk powder and functional foods. Hiep Phuoc is an international port in Soai Rap River, operating since 2014 and could serve boats of up to 50,000 tonnes. Project supports poor residents in two provinces A total of 108 commune health centres in six poor districts in Bac Kan and Cao Bang northern provinces have received health care in the past 6 and a half years. This is part of the results of the project "Supporting health care policy for the poor in Cao Bang and Bac Kan", or often called project VIE/027 which ran from June 1, 2009, to the end of this year. The project's objective was to improve the health status of the population while contributing to poverty alleviation in the project area. Its total budget was more than 7 million euros (about US$7.6 million), of which 6.4 million euros was a contribution from the Government of Luxembourg and 550,000 euros were local contributions. Under the project, nearly 2,000 village meetings with 74,137 participants were organised on the subject of health. A total of 756 commune health centres staff and village health workers were trained to conduct and maintain communications activities in the community. The percentage of the poor/ethnic people in the intervention areas who were now aware of their benefits and rights for using the health insurance card increased from 20.2 per cent to 35.9 per cent. More than 300 health staff of district hospital and commune health centres were trained on medical waste sources, process of classification, segregation, and transport, in addition to treatment of medical waste, and solid waste treatment technology. Nguyen Thanh Cao, deputy director of the project management unit in Bac Kan Province, said that the institutional framework and partnerships were the backbone of the project and helped ensure the project's expected results and objectives. Claude Jentgen, provisional representative of the Embassy of Luxembourg in Viet Nam, said that impressive socio-economic progress allowed Viet Nam to reach almost all health-related millennium development goals targets. However, challenges persisted with access to and delivery of health services in remote and ethnic minority areas, he said. "In response to these needs, Luxembourg concentrated its support in the most remote areas of a limited number of mountainous provinces characterised by ethnic diversity. And project VIE/027 was an important part of that approach to improve service delivery in the two provinces," he said. Decree mandates construction insurance Contractors are now obliged to purchase insurance for complex projects and their construction workers. The affected projects include any construction work that may affect community safety or the environment and work that is subject to special technical requirements. This was outlined in a new governmental decree on mandatory construction insurance, which will take effect on February 10 next year. Under the law, the insurance coverage period runs from the time the workers start their jobs on the construction site until the project is done. The specific insured days will be determined by the labour contract. The insurance company will reimburse the contractors for any compensation owed to the labourers in cases of injury, work-related accidents, and occupation-related diseases. The minimum compensation is VND100million (US$4,500) per person in each case. According to the decree, contractors conducting a construction survey and creating a design for construction works of Grade II or higher are obliged to buy professional liability insurance, which must be equal to or less than the value of the survey and design contract. The new regulation was adopted recently following a series of labour accidents. The most recent one occurred yesterday at a petrol station construction site in central Ha Tinh Province, where two workers were killed. Public participation in law making on the rise People around the country have paid more attention to their rights in engaging in law making and policy development as well as monitoring the process. In the meantime, Vietnamese non-governmental organisations and policy-makers were offered chances to meet and develop a mutual understanding, and learn from each other via policy dialogues. These are the results of a three-year programme called the Public Participation and Accountability Facilitation Fund (PARAFF), which wrapped up yesterday, backed by the Government of Denmark in accordance with the Viet Nam National Assembly's Office. The programme was kicked off in 2012 while policy dialogue was still not so common for Vietnamese NGOs and policy makers, and people were not aware of their rights to participate and voice their opinion in the compilation of laws and policies. It was estimated that 48 NGOs and people living in 30 provinces and cites contributed ideas in the compilation of 25 laws and policies for three years. The laws can be named as law on civil code, law on population, law on environment protection, law on housing, and law on the organisation of local Government. Speaking at the closing ceremony of the programme, Nguyen Si Dung, Vice-Chairman of the Office of the National Assembly acknowledged the contribution PARAFF made in enabling Vietnamese non-governmental organisations and the public at large to constructively engage in law – and policy development. And the NGOs played an important role in bringing the voice of the people to law – and policy-makers at all levels, he said. Therefore, elected bodies had more arguments and information before deciding on the policies and oversight of the Government and People's Committees, he said. Danish Ambassador Charlotte Laursen expressed her satisfaction with PARAFF achievements in enhancing the capacity and confidence of Vietnamese NGOs and citizens to actively contribute in the processes. She hoped that the organisations benefited from the PARAFF support would share their experiences with other organisations and continue pursuing the process of "making voices heard". HCM City hosts conference on industrial engineering, management system Domestic and foreign researchers and experts are exchanging their ideas and latest scientific research outcomes in the field of industrial engineering and management systems at a conference that opened in Ho Chi Minh City on December 10. The 16th Asia Pacific Industrial Engineering and Management Systems Conference (APIEMS 2015), which is held for the first time in Vietnam by the International University under the Ho Chi Minh City National University, draws more than 310 research studies at home and abroad. During the three-day event, the participants also look into pragmatic solutions to limitations in industrial engineering and management systems. The conference also offers an opportunity for Vietnamese scientists to seek cooperation opportunities with their foreign counterparts. According to Ho Thanh Phong, rector of Ho Chi Minh International University, the field of industrial engineering and management is "rather new" in Vietnam with only two universities providing training in the sphere. Government policies need to be in place: Deputy PM Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam called for measures to execute the Government’s policies soundly while chairing a meeting of the National Council for Sustainable Development and Competitiveness Improvement in Hanoi on December 10. He made the call in response to concern over the slow progress of implementing a resolution on improving the business climate and competitiveness for 2015-2016 in several ministries and localities. Realities show that localities would achieve goals set in the resolution if authorities closely inspect and direct the enforcement, said Director of the Central Institute for Economic Management Nguyen Dinh Cung. According to the World Bank’s Doing Business report issued on May 31, Vietnam moved up three notches, from 93 rd last year to 90 th place out of 89 economies, with a marked improvement in business start-up time, customs, energy and credit access, social insurance and curbing of bankruptcy. The report was compiled prior to the enforcement of the laws on Investment and Enterprises, so the WB experts have forecast another jump in the rankings in 2016. However, it also showed Vietnam’s modest performance when it comes to processing administrative procedures, trading across borders and protecting minority investors. Discussing the United Nations’ Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development, participants shared the view that improving competitiveness is crucial to sustainable development. The agenda features 17 goals at its core and 169 specific targets applicable to the most and least developed countries between now and 2030. Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen The Phuong said the ministry will submit a socio-economic development strategy until 2035 to the Government, which will include the above goals. Several opinions stressed the significance of improving labour output, which they said, needs better business environment. The Ministry of Planning and Investment, the Government e-portal and the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry were asked to continue acquiring business feedbacks. VNA/VNS/VOV/SGT/SGGP/TT/TN/Dantri