National online conference to review ethnic work in 2024 and deploy tasks for 2025

Comrade Nguyen Hoa Binh, Politburo member, Secretary of the Party Central Committee, Permanent Deputy Prime Minister of the Government attended and directed the conference.

Comrade Hau A Lenh, member of the Party Central Committee, Minister, Chairman of the Ethnic Committee and Deputy Ministers, Vice Chairmen of the Ethnic Committee co-chaired the conference.

Conference scene at the Binh Dinh bridge.

Permanent Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Nguyen Tuan Thanh and Head of the Provincial Ethnic Committee Dinh Van Lung chaired the conference at the Binh Dinh bridge.

 In 2024, ethnic work and ethnic policies have achieved important results, contributing significantly to changing the face of ethnic minority and mountainous areas. The rate of poor and near-poor households has reached the target of the year and has decreased compared to the same period last year; the poverty reduction target has become an important task and target in the leadership, direction and operation of Party committees and local authorities. The National Target Program for Ethnic Minorities and Mountainous Areas has received strong leadership and direction from the Provincial Party Committee, City Party Committee, People's Council, and People's Committee of the province and city to ensure effective implementation and achievement of the set goals and targets. Poor and near-poor households have better access to policies, investment resources and support from the Party, State and community. The living standards of people in ethnic minority and mountainous areas have improved, contributing to consolidating and enhancing people's trust in the Party and State.  The economic growth rate of the provinces in the ethnic minority and mountainous regions is quite high, in which the provinces in the Northwest region increased by an average of 8.0%/year, the Central Highlands increased by an average of 7.5%/year, and the Southwest increased by an average of 7.0%/year. Up to now, 98.4% of the communes in the ethnic minority and mountainous regions have car roads to the center; 96.7% of the ethnic minority households have access to the national electricity grid; 100% of the communes have kindergartens, primary schools, and secondary schools; 99.3% of the communes have medical stations with 83.5% of the communes having standard medical stations, 69.1% of the medical stations have doctors and nurses to examine and treat people; over 90% of the communes are covered by radio and television; 100% of the communes have telecommunications infrastructure and mobile coverage to meet the communication needs of the people;  Many provinces have an average annual poverty reduction rate of over 3%, exceeding the target set in the Action Program to implement the Ethnic Work Strategy (CLCTDT) to 2030, with a vision to 2045... With the determination and focused direction of the National Assembly, the Government, the Prime Minister and the efforts to implement solutions by relevant ministries and branches, the disbursement data for public investment capital has improved significantly so far, and the disbursement results of the National Target Program for Ethnic Minorities and Mountainous Areas have had positive changes in 2024. Specifically, for public investment capital (including capital extended from previous years transferred to 2024): Compared to the general disbursement situation of public investment capital of the whole country and the National Target Programs, the disbursement results of the National Target Program for Ethnic Minorities and Mountainous Areas have had many positive changes.

In Binh Dinh, in 2024, the socio-economic situation of ethnic minority and mountainous areas will have significant developments; the material and spiritual life of the people will be constantly improved; the security, political situation and order and safety of the mountainous areas will be stable, the great national unity bloc will be increasingly consolidated and maintained. Up to now, the ethnic minority communes have basically solved essential infrastructure works such as: The poverty rate has decreased by more than 4%/year (compared to the target of 3% - 4%/year); Maintaining 100% of communes with asphalted and concreted car roads to the commune center; Over 95% of roads in villages are concreted and hardened according to the technical level of the Ministry of Transport; 100% of schools, classrooms and medical stations are solidly built; Over 99% of households have access to the national grid and other suitable power sources;  Over 96% of ethnic minorities have access to clean water; 100% of ethnic minorities have access to audio-visual equipment; Maintain 100% of 5-year-old kindergarten students attending school, students of the age group: Primary school students reach over 99.7%, junior high school students reach over 95%, high school students reach over 60%; Maintain 100% of communes meeting national criteria on health in the period 2020 - 2025 and continue to improve the quality of work to protect and care for people's health; Maintain 100% of communes having doctors; 100% of commune health stations are qualified for medical examination and treatment with health insurance; Preserve and develop the values ​​and traditional cultural identities of ethnic groups; 100% of villages have community houses;  Over 50% of villages have traditional cultural and artistic teams (clubs) that operate regularly and with quality.

Standing Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Nguyen Tuan Thanh spoke at the conference.

Speaking at the conference, the Binh Dinh Provincial People's Committee made a number of proposals and recommendations, including: focusing on sustainable development indicators, improving material and spiritual life, accessing high-quality social services such as: The average income of ethnic minorities is half of the national average; The rate of households using clean water reaches 90-100%; Solving 80-100% of the number of disadvantaged households lacking residential land and production land. In addition, adjusting to reduce the number of overlapping Projects, Sub-projects, and component contents and considering integrating and arranging between the 3 national target programs appropriately for easy implementation.  There are open mechanisms and strong enough policies to increase the attractiveness, attract investment from enterprises and enhance the capacity of cooperatives in ethnic minority areas, especially in extremely difficult areas, to help ethnic minorities diversify their livelihoods, develop production in the direction of value chains, develop precious medicinal areas, build and develop business and startup models, thereby accelerating the process of sustainable poverty reduction for ethnic minorities.

Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Hoa Binh delivered a concluding speech at the conference. (Photo: baochinhphu.vn)

In his concluding speech at the conference, Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Hoa Binh highly appreciated, acknowledged and congratulated the results achieved by the Committee for Ethnic Minorities in implementing ethnic work and ethnic policies in the past time.

The Deputy Prime Minister emphasized that ethnic affairs and the implementation of ethnic policies are important tasks of the Party, the Government as well as ministries, departments and branches from the central to local levels. Therefore, comrade Nguyen Hoa Binh requested the Committee for Ethnic Affairs to continue to effectively implement the Directives, Resolutions and Conclusions of the Party, the National Assembly and the Government; and the Prime Minister's directives and management documents related to ethnic affairs. In addition, implementing the assigned contents and tasks on innovation and reorganization of the political system to be streamlined and operate effectively and efficiently in Resolution No. 18-NQ/TW of the 12th Party Central Committee. Determined to deploy and complete the arrangement of the ethnic affairs apparatus at the central and local levels to put it into operation from the beginning of 2025. Continuing to review all institutions and regulations to be suitable and effective with the new organizational apparatus;  At the same time, advise on summarizing the ethnic policies for the period 2021-2025, advise on promulgating amendments, supplements or replacements of ethnic programs and policies for the period 2026-2030 to ensure consistency and synchronization of policies for the period 2021-2030. Strengthen the work of monitoring and grasping the situation in ethnic minority and mountainous areas, especially in remote, isolated and border areas; promote propaganda and dissemination of ethnic policies and programs to ethnic minorities; promptly handle, report and advise competent authorities to handle hot spots of security and order, natural disasters, epidemics, environment, etc. in the area, avoid being passive and surprised, promptly provide information and reports on ethnic work and ethnic policies, etc.