Poverty Strategy

This document forms the basis for special concessional assistance of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to the Government of Vietnam. Other donors have also pledged to align their assistance to Vietnam to the priorities laid out in the CPRGS. It was developed by government through a highly consultative process, including consultations with civil society and the private sector, and with support from a range of donors including UNDP, ADB, Japan and DFID (UK). It is the result of assessments of poverty trends and causes, using both formal and informal (participatory) data collection, and lays out (1) the development targets for the coming 5 years, (2) the indicators for measuring progress over time towards meeting these targets, (3) the policy changes that need to be implemented if these targets are to be met, and (4) the resource implications of meeting these targets. It is envisioned that all sectoral strategies and donor support programmes are anchored in the CPRGS.

The I-PRSP (184kb pdf) was completed and approved in March 2001, and led to a first PRSC in June 2001 and PRGF in April 2001. The VDTs and corresponding relevant indicators and policy reforms feed into the full CPRGS (or the PRSP), which was completed in April 2002, approved by the Prime Minister in May 2002, and discussed by the Boards of the World Bank and the IMF shortly afterwards. The CPRGS underpins the new World Bank CAS, and will pave the way for a possible new PRSC and PRGF. Sectoral strategies of the Government and donor support programs should all be anchored in this new CPRGS to ensure they are integrated with the overall strategy and support the policy reforms. All this should lead to achieving the VDTs for 2001 - 2010 (Diagram 1).

Diagram 1.  CPRGS process and linkages
(Touch the white text for an explanation)

 

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(Approved by the Prime Minister at Document No. 2685/VPCP-QHQT, dated May 12, 2002)
 

  Vietnam - IPRSP Joint Staff Assessment

CPRGS Village Consultations
  Refining Policy with the Poor, Vietnam Local Consultations on the Draft Comprehensive Poverty Reduction and Growth Strategy (Volume I: Approach, methodology and influence) (1.87mb pdf)
Shanks, E. and Turk, C. (2002), , World Bank together with ActionAid, Catholic Relief Services, Oxfam GB, Plan in Vietnam and SCUK for the Poverty Task Force, Hanoi.

This paper has been written by Edwin Shanks (researcher) and Carrie Turk (World Bank). The authors have drawn extensively on written and verbal communications with members of each of the research teams involved in carrying out the local consultation exercises described here. This report, which is the first of three volumes documenting the local consultations, provides an account and reflection on the approach and methodology used in the consultations. It is intended this may give useful practical experience for future monitoring of the CPRGS, as well as for people who are planning to carry out similar exercises in other countries. The report outlines the process that was followed from the point of developing a research outline and questions from the draft Strategy document, the methodology used in the fieldwork exercises, data compilation and analysis, leading on to identification of the main policy messages and recommendations made by the participants. It also analyses the influence and impact the local consultations had on the Comprehensive Poverty Reduction and Growth Strategy.

 

This report has been compiled and written by Edwin Shanks (researcher) and Carrie Turk (World Bank). It is the second volume documenting the local consultations. It provides a synthesis of the main policy messages and recommendations emerging from the six consultation studies (based on the site reports contained in Volume III). The results and findings are organized into five themes that relate to major components of the poverty reduction strategy, including: poverty trends, creating opportunities for poor people and supporting livelihoods, improving access to quality basic social services, reducing vulnerability, and institutional arrangements for implementing the CPRGS. For each component a summary is also made of the key policy messages and public actions proposed by the local participants as necessary if the stated national objectives for reducing poverty and promoting social equity are to be achieved.

  Community Views on the Poverty Reduction Strategy, Vietnam Local Consultations on the Draft Comprehensive Poverty Reduction and Growth Strategy (Volume III: Reports from the six consultation sites) (1.34mb pdf)
ActionAid, Catholic Relief Services, Oxfam GB, Plan in Vietnam, SCUK, World Bank (2002), , for the Poverty Task Force, Hanoi.

This third volume in the series contains the separate consultation reports from each of the research locations including: Lao Cai Province (in the northern mountain region), Ha Tinh and Quang Tri Provinces (in the central coastal regions), Vinh Long and Tra Vinh Provinces (in the Mekong Delta) and Ho Chi Minh City. The reports document the viewpoints, ideas and opinions of the local participants on the draft Poverty Reduction Strategy. Each report begins with a general introduction to the area and groups represented on the study, followed by a summary of people's analysis of overall poverty trends and forecasts. This leads on to the detailed responses made to specific components and policy actions proposed in the strategy that were discussed in numerous focus group discussions and meetings held at the local level.
The authors of each report are as follows:

· Tra Vinh Province (supported by Oxfam GB)
Hoang Xuan Thanh and Than Thi Thien Huong
· Vinh Long Province (Catholic Relief Services)
Susannah Hopkins
· Ho Chi Minh City (Save the Children UK)
Nguyen Van Thuan, Huynh Thi Ngoc Tuyet and Bill Tod
· Quang Tri Province (Plan in Vietnam)
Nguyen Kim Nga and Mark McPeak
· Ha Tinh Province (ActionAid Vietnam)
Nguyen Tat Quan and Le Minh Tue
· Lao Cai Province (the World Bank)
Edwin Shanks, Vo Thanh Son and Nguyen Thi Thu Lan

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  Localizing MDGs for Poverty Reduction in Viet Nam: Reducing Vulnerability and Providing Social Protection. (729kb pdf) June 2002.
Prepared for the Poverty Task Force: This paper was led by the World Bank and written by Tim Conway (Overseas Development Institute) and Carrie Turk (World Bank).
  Localizing MDGs for Poverty Reduction in Viet Nam: Providing Quality Basic Education for all. (1.08mb pdf) June 2002. 
Prepared for the Poverty Task Force: This paper was led by Steve Passingham (DIFD) and involved a team comprising Nguyen Nguyet Nga (World Bank) and Christopher Shaw (World Bank).
  Localizing MDGs for Poverty Reduction in Viet Nam: Ensuring Environmental Sustainability. (1.06mb pdf) June 2002.
Prepared for the Poverty Task Force: The core team members for this paper were: Mr. Craig Leisher (team leader and principle author), Mr Martin Geiger and Ms Hoang Phuong Thao (WWF).
  Localizing MDGs for Poverty Reduction in Viet Nam: Ensuring Good Governance for Poverty Reduction. (517kb pdf) June 2002.
Prepared for the Poverty Task Force: The bulk of the preparation of this paper was undertaken by Edmund Attridge, Staff Consultant, in ADB Vietnam Resident Mission.
  Localizing MDGs for Poverty Reduction in Viet Nam: Improving Health Status and Reducing Inequalities. (1.29mb pdf) June 2002.
Prepared for the Poverty Task Force: Preparation of this document was supported by the Asian Development Bank and the World Health Organization as a contribution to setting national strategic targets that will allow the monitoring of main development and poverty policies and strategies. Indu Bhushan (ADB) prepared the first draft of the report with the support of Nguyen Minh Thang and Dilawar Ali Khan.
  Localizing MDGs for Poverty Reduction in Viet Nam: Enhancing Access to Basic Infrastructure. (1mb pdf) June 2002.
Prepared for the Poverty Task Force: This report was prepared by the Infrastructure Sub-Group formed within the Poverty Task Force (PTF) to support 'localization of Millennium Development Goals in Vietnam.
  Localizing MDGs for Poverty Reduction in Viet Nam: Eradicating Poverty and Hunger. (1.25mb pdf) June 2002.
Prepared for the Poverty Task Force: This report was prepared by James Beard of the Centre for International Economics (CIE) and Nisha Agrawal of the World Bank.
  Localizing MDGs for Poverty Reduction in Viet Nam: Promoting Ethnic Minority Development.(1.27mb pdf) June 2002.
Prepared for the Poverty Task Force: Preparation of this paper was led by UNDP. The first draft was written by Koos Neefjes and the final paper was edited by Bridget Crumpton, with inputs from Dagmar Schumacher, Ernst van Koesveld , and Mr. Nguyen Tien Phong (UNDP).
  Summary of the eight papers on Localizing MDGs for Poverty Reduction in Viet Nam: Achieving the Vietnam Development Goals - an overview of progress and challenges. (1.02mb pdf) June 2002.
 

This summary was compiled and written by Rob Swinkels and Carrie Turk of the World Bank.

  Localizing the International Development Goals: the Vietnam Development Targets. (64kb pdf)

About 90 people took part in an expanded session of the Government-Donor-NGO Poverty Task Force in Hai Phong, from September 17-19, 2001. (Annex 1 gives the agenda and Annex 2 the list of participants). It took the form of an intensive, three-day workshop, and will feed into the Government of Vietnam's preparation of the Comprehensive Poverty Reduction and Growth Strategy (CPRGS).

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