Current situation of livelihoods and human resource development in ethnic minority areas.

Recently, the Committee for Ethnic Minorities Affairs (CEMA) organized a workshop to provide feedback on the Report on the survey results of the project "Investigation of the current livelihood situation of ethnic minorities resettled due to hydropower projects in ethnic minority and mountainous areas" and the basic survey report "Investigation, research, and identification of needs and appropriate training types to improve the quality of human resources of ethnic minorities in the Northwest region".

At the conference, the speakers presented the two reports mentioned above. Accordingly, in recent years, Vietnam has built many hydroelectric power plants in mountainous areas and regions with large ethnic minority populations to meet the socio-economic development requirements of the country.

Closely linked to hydropower construction is the resettlement of ethnic minorities, a matter of concern for the Party and State, leaders at all levels and sectors, and policymakers, aiming to provide a better life for people displaced from their old homes to new resettlement areas. Alongside achievements, certain limitations remain regarding environmental issues and, especially, ensuring livelihoods for ethnic minorities resettled due to hydropower projects in ethnic minority and mountainous regions.

Tea cultivation in the Thanh Chuong resettlement area has brought significant income to the local people. Photo: Xuan Hoang

Reviewing the implementation of each policy in this strategy reveals both successes and shortcomings. However, in mountainous, remote, and disadvantaged areas, the rate of relapse into illiteracy remains high, and the dropout rate among students is still significant, especially among female students from poor families. Some ethnic minority groups have no one who has graduated from high school. The qualifications of the leadership and management staff in ethnic minority areas are still low, failing to meet the requirements of socio-economic development in these localities.

Regarding the training and improvement of human resources in ethnic minority areas, the practical experience over the years shows that the Party's strategy on building, training, nurturing, and developing human resources for ethnic minorities has achieved positive results. The contingent of ethnic minority cadres has gradually developed in both quantity and quality, playing a significant role in socio-economic development and strengthening national defense and security in mountainous and ethnic minority regions.

Agricultural officials visit rice fields to guide farmers on how to prevent and control pests and diseases in Que Phong. Photo: Xuan Hoang.

At the workshop, delegates contributed opinions on the two survey reports, focusing on several key areas: the need for a macro-level vision for the two projects; leveraging the region's strengths and orienting policies toward supporting the strengths of the local people; ensuring food security, job creation, and production development for livelihoods; adapting labor and production structures; and addressing cultural issues and labor and employment problems.

Speaking at the workshop, Deputy Minister and Vice Chairman of the Committee for Ethnic Minority Affairs Phan Van Hung highly appreciated the opinions of the delegates from many different angles and perspectives. The Deputy Minister and Vice Chairman requested the units in charge of the two projects to incorporate the delegates' opinions to finalize the survey results reports of the two projects.

The Deputy Minister also emphasized the need to clarify the overall human resources; to utilize data from existing sources, and to invite experts with in-depth knowledge of the survey's fields to gain a more multifaceted and thorough perspective; to clarify the content and focus more on the key aspects of the topic and project; and to propose policy-oriented recommendations and solutions. The project should be refined to produce a good product to serve the development and planning of ethnic policies.

TV(Synthetic)