Overview
ISSUE Although Viet Nam has made significant progress towards universal access to basic services, disparities still exist. Indeed, the differences between the 12 richest provinces and the 12 poorest are often stark. For instance, the poverty rate among the wealthiest provinces is around 9 percent, while in the poorest provinces, it runs as high as 16 per cent. In the richest provinces, the infant mortality rate is 10 deaths per 1,000 live births. That rate is six times higher in the poorest. Viet Nam’s poorest provinces are hampered by numerous factors, including limited access to resources and services, poor infrastructure and frequent natural disasters. But, their development has also been hindered by the lack of capacity at the provincial and local levels. Provincial, district and village governments need support in order to ensure that their policies, plans and budgets are based on solid evidence and community participation, and are targeted towards assisting vulnerable groups such as the poor, children and adolescents, women, ethnic minorities and migrants. UNICEF’S RESPONSE UNICEF is responding to this situation with its new Provincial Child-Friendly Programme. Working with the national Government, UNICEF seeks to influence sub-national Socio-Economic Development Plans (SEPDs) to guarantee that they focus on the poor and vulnerable children. The programme will also help establish integrated services in health and nutrition, education, water and sanitation, child protection and injury prevention. Among the key strategies are: Capacity building: UNICEF will help build capacity of provincial and local authorities in the planning, budgeting, development and management of quality social services; and monitoring and evaluation. UNICEF will also help authorities assess and analyse their capacity to guide future capacity building measures. In addition, it will support analyses of local SEDPs to establish baseline information. Demonstration of integrated social services: UNICEF will help launch pilot projects that can later serve as models. These projects will demonstrate how to effectively integrate health, sanitation, education and protection services for children and women. Communication and participation: As a key part of the programme, UNICEF will work to increase awareness of and improve attitudes towards children and women’s issues among local political leaders and government officials, communities and families. The programme will also strongly encourage the participation of community members, including children, in local-level planning. Monitoring and evaluation: UNICEF will assist in assessing, evaluating and documenting approaches and models to mobilise resources and advocate for expansion of the programme. UNICEF’s major partners in this programme are the Provincial Peoples’ Committee, the Department of Planning and Investment and various sectoral line departments in health, education, water and sanitation. Other partners include the Women’s Union and the Youth Union. At the national level, UNICEF partners with the Ministry of Planning and Investment. UNICEF also plans to develop partnerships with NGOs to carry out awareness-raising activities and promote participatory planning. It will also seek to coordinate with other donors engaging in similar activities.
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