Seventy per cent of people in Con Cuông District in the central province of Nghệ An are members of an ethnic minority. — VNA/VNS Photo Nguyễn Thuỷ

HÀ NỘI — The implementation of a project on strengthening international cooperation to support socio-economic development in ethnic minority-inhabited areas will be extended to 2025 under a decision signed recently by Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc.

The project will be carried out from 2021-25, with the aim of promoting cooperation in attracting financial assistance, science and technology and experience from other countries, international organisations, overseas collectives and individuals to invest in socio-economic development in ethnic minority and mountainous areas, towards effectively performing the national target programme on socio-economic development in ethnic minority and mountainous areas in the 2021-30 period.

By 2025, the project strives to maximise attraction of international resources, especially non-refundable aid, official development assistance (ODA) and preferential loans for the programmes.

It encourages international investment in socio-economic development in ethnic minority and mountainous areas based on actual demand and potential and advantages of each locality and ethnic group, and on the principles of preserving and developing traditional cultural values and protecting the environment.

The project also aims to mobilise technical support from international organisations and individuals to support capacity building for people in ethnic minority and mountainous areas, and civil servants and public employees working in ethnic affairs at all levels.

The project is expected to help address the shortage of residential land, housing, productive land, and water in ethnic minority-inhabited areas.

It will focus on developing agricultural and forestry production, and fully tapping the potential and strengths of regions for commodity production in value chains.

Attention will be also paid to developing infrastructure serving production, promoting education and training to improve the quality of human resources from ethnic minority groups, preserving and upholding traditional cultural values in association with tourism development, taking care of people's health, preventing child malnutrition, promoting gender equality, and solving urgent issues for women and children. — VNS