Mr Hung emphasised that along with other poverty reduction schemes, the programme aims to improve the living standards of the economically disadvantaged people. By 2020 their income should increase by 5-6 times compared to 2008.

In Mr Dam’s assessment, the programme is meaningful socially and politically and in line with the aspirations of the people. Ministries, provinces and businesses have made great efforts to implement it and gained significant results.

Participants at the meeting reviewed the programme’s implementation after one year, evaluated its capital allocation for 2009 and its plan for 2010 and discussed related policies including those on housing and labour export. They devised measures to accelerate implementation in the coming time.

They agreed that the programme is paying off and that the people consider it a chance to escape from poverty and underdevelopment. It has mobilised the strength of the whole political system and instilled a keener sense of social responsibility. Supporting policies on housing, forest protection, education, training and intellectual improvement have achieved significant results, creating a breakthrough in living conditions for the poor . The number of such households has fallen by 4 percent per year from 47 percent in 2008 to 43 percent in 2009 within the 62 targeted districts.

The meeting aimed to reduce the rate of poor households to below 40 percent in 2010 and to complete land and forest allocation along with food subsidy programmes for citizens. Districts should improve people’s living standards by accelerating agricultural production, forest protection and development, building rural socio-economic infrastructure, strengthening research and the application of advanced technology and making breakthroughs in human resource training to increase the number of qualified, skilled workers to 25 percent.