DPA INDICATORS PROGRESS UPDATE SEPTEMBER 2014 SUMMARIZED BY THE

Education

Percentage of 20% poorest students completing primary education in 36 SEQAP supported provinces (gender disaggregated)

Average Fundamental School Quality Level (FSQL) input index score increases

General 96.3%. (Girls: 96.3%, ethnic minority 81.9%, rural 96.1%)

(these figures are for all SEQAP students, but not for the 20% poorest students as SEQAP cannot disaggregate the information by poverty).

(SEQAP Result Matrix 3/2013). This is higher than the base year of 2007-2008 (general 91.9%, girls 90.9%, ethnic minority 76.8% and rural 91.9%).

Complementary data from MPI for SEQAP provinces, 2013-14: General : 99,6% (females students - 99,5% ; Ethnic minority - 98,9% ; rural students - 99,6%). For 2009-2010 base year: general is 96,2% (female students 95,7%; ethnic minority : 82,5%; rural students : 96,2%).

Slight decrease from 71.9% (2010) to 71.1% (2011). This index was developed and used under PEDC project. No data on this index for SEQAP and this index is no longer monitored by MOET under the new programme.

HIV/AIDS

HIV/AIDS

Prevalence of HIV among pregnant women as a proxy for the prevalence of HIV among the general population

Percentage of female sex workers in project provinces reporting condom use with their clients

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Proportion of injecting drug users using clean needles

HIV prevalence among pregnant women is 0.19% (Annual report of VAAC 2013). This is a slight decrease from last year of 0.2%. HIV prevalence rate in general population is estimated at 0.23% in 2014 (0.4 in 2012), among female sex workers is 2.6% (2014), a big decrease from 5.9% in 2002. (Vietnam AIDS Response Progress Report 2014).

85.2 % (2012) , 92 % (2013)

HSS+ IBBS (HIV Sentinel Surveillance and Integrated Biological and Behavioral) Survey 2013, Vietnam AIDs/AID Coordination Committee

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96.4% (2012), 97.3 % (2013) (HSS + IBSS 2013 VACC report)

Rural water and Sanitation

Number of additional households in rural areas with access to an improved sanitation facility as a result of DFID support in 2013

Number of additional households in rural areas having clean water as a result of DFID support in 2013

230,951 people in rural areas had hygienic latrines in 2013 with DFID support (190,758 as of Dec 2012)

138,758 people had clean water in 2013 with DFID support (120,781 people as of 2012)

Source: MOH, MARD, and VBSP reports provided to the Joint Annual Review mission (JAR). Numbers were aggregated based on the funding amount by DFID against the total value of the RWSS NTP, with compliment data from SNV’s technical assistant project « Sustainable Sanitation for All » in Nghe An province, funded by DFID.

Poverty

Poverty rate amongst ethnic minority groups decreases

59,2% of Ethnic Minorities are poor in 2012 (dropped from 66,3% in 2010 ) - (VHLSS 2010 and 2012)

Ethnic minorities’ poverty continues to decline but is less responsive to growth than is poverty overall. Over 2010-2012, poverty overall fell by 17 percent of its 2010 level (from 20.7% to 17.2%), while the ethnic minority poverty rate fell by only 11 percent of its previous level.

Wealth Creation

Private sector investment share increases

Income of the 20% poorest population increases

Law and regulations passed or revised and implemented to support recognition of Vietnam as a market economy by major trading partners (US, EU)

Global competitiveness index for Vietnam increases

Wage employment among women increases

Private investment share increased from 35.2% in 2011 to 37.6% in 2013.

(General Statistics Office annual reports)

Income of the 20% poorest population increased by 7.3% per annum from 2008 to 2010, and by 3.4% per annum from 2010 to 2012. Concerns over inequality have arisen despite Vietnam’s rapid growth with only modest increase in income inequality. Mean incomes of the bottom 40 percent grew at 9 percent annually over the 2 decades up to 2012, a great example of shared prosperity. In 2012, Vietnam’s income Gini coefficient was 0.424, placing it in the middle of the global Gini distribution (Taking Stock, WB, July 2014)

Vietnam has, by April 2014, received recognition of its market economy from 56 countries across the world (Ministry of Industry and Trade). It has yet to be recognised as a market economy by key trade partners including the US, EU and Mexico. The National Assembly passed a new Price Law to replace the Price Ordinance with more protection for private business to set prices, reducing the scope for Government intervention in pricing. EU and US provided positive feedback on Vietnam’s progress towards Market Economy Status and could grant Vietnam this status in the near-term, with the conclusion of major trade agreements such as the EU-Vietnam bilateral one or the Trans-Pacific Partnership.

(Beyond WTO Project Annual Review by DFID, January 2013)

On Global Competitiveness Index (GCI) for 2013-2014, Vietnam ranks 70 out of 148 countries (1 is the best) and scores 4.18 (7 is the best). Compared with the baseline year 2011, the ranking has decreased by 10 points (65, 2011) and the score has decreased slightly (4.24, 2011). There is improvement in both the ranking and the score compared with 2012/13 which were 75 and 4.11 respectively.

(http://www3.weforum.org/docs/CSI/2012-13/GCR_Rankings_2012-13.pdf )

In 2013, women accounted for 41.1 percent of waged and salaried workers but 64 percent of family unpaid workers, indicating that women do not have as much access to quality work as men. At the same time, salaried employment does not guarantee decent employment. In 2013, 31.4 percent of all salaried employees worked with verbal contract arrangements or no contract at all. The rate is similar among men and women but the proportion of workers having no contract is much higher for women than for men (24.4 percent and 16 percent respectively) - (WB taking stock 2014 and GSO Labour Survey 2014).

Climate Change

Actions implemented to integrate low carbon growth in national and sector strategies and plans such as energy use, agricultural development, national and provincial development plans

Actions implemented to promote other mitigation and adaptation in investment projects in agriculture, coastal areas management and other relevant areas.

• Government adopted the National Green Growth Strategy (NGGS) (Decicsion 1393/QD-TTg dated 25 September 2012) ) and encompasses low carbon development objectives. The low carbon study has informed the process of the NGGS action plan developed by MPI.

• Sector low carbon strategies are being prepared

• Government is considering phasing out fossil fuel subsidies.

(Government’s reports and announcements)

• Adaptation prioritisation tool for prioritising climate change adaption interventions by provinces and other ministries – MPI adopted the tool under the decision 1485/QD-BKHDT dates 17th October 2013. Agencies in charge will include line Ministries, Government bodies, and municipal and provincial People’s Committees.

• Enhancing climate change consideration in the revision and implementation of the water law. The technical assistance helped enhance the quality of the legal documents and specifically strengthen the provisions related to climate change resilience. As a result the National Action Plan now sets out major directions, priority measures and funding for implementing integrated water resource management through to 2020.

• Ministries are also developing action plans, which include climate change adaptation and mitigation projects. However, most of these projects seem to be stand-alone projects, rather than integration of adaptation and mitigation into development investments.

(Government’s reports and announcements)

Human Rights (*)

Progress made in implementing Universal Periodical Review commitments, including ratifying and respecting key human rights instruments.

• Vietnam approved 182 out of 227 recommendations at the Universal Periodic Review, the second period by the Human Right Council. We recognise that Vietnam has worked with the United Nations Development Programme to follow up these recommendations. Recommendations not approved by Vietnam include  those designed to address the rule of law and freedom of expression. The  upcoming revisions of the penal code offer Vietnam an opportunity to demonstrate further progress in these areas.  

• Vietnam officially joined the Human Rights Council, period 2014-2016 on the 1^st January 2014.  We support Vietnam’s engagement on international human rights issues, as part of its international integration agenda, and look forward to the UK and Vietnam working more closely together in the Council to ensure that international norms are protected. 

• We welcomed Vietnam’s ratification of the Convention against Torture and Convention on Disability rights in November 2014. 

• We also view the invitation to subsequent visit of two UN Special Rapporteurs (the Special Rapporteur on Cultural Rights in November 2013 and the Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Religion and Belief in July 2014) to Vietnam during this period as another positive development, but we note and share the disappointment of the latter Special Rapporteur that restrictions were placed on his meetings with human rights defenders.  

• We welcomed the release of six political prisoners during the first half of 2014, and hope that this trend continues.  But we remain concerned that seven human rights defenders were convicted in 2014 and that a significant numbers of individuals remain imprisoned for expressing their opinions peacefully.

Governance

Worldwide Governance Indicators for Vietnam improve

Modest improvement in three out of six indictors between 2011-2012.  

Source: http://info.worldbank.org/governance/wgi/index.asp

During the last two years, Vietnam has revised and introduced new legislation which contribute to the improvement of governance such as the revision of the Constitution in 2013 or the Law on Money Laundering.

Anti-Corruption

Progress made in implementing the National Anti-Corruption Strategy to 2020, including establishing and reporting against a robust monitoring and evaluation framework

• Monitoring and evaluation (M&E) framework showed challenges in collecting data and is being reviewed by the General Inspectorate. It is recommended that the revised M&E should have less number of indicators and draw on existing data such as PCI and PAPI as much as possible

• Positive progress in engaging business in fighting corruption since the 12^th Anti-corruption Dialogue in November 2013. The Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and foreign Chambers of Commerce are developing collective business integrity initiatives that commit to integrity in doing business in Vietnam. There is strong support by the Government of Vietnam at Deputy Prime Minister level. These initiatives will be implemented in accordance with the Vietnam legislation.

• Proactive preparation for the revision of the Penal Code, which include considerations on criminalisation of corruption offenses and taking accounts of other recommendations from the 1^st round of UNCAC self-assessment

• It remains unclear how the National Anti-Corruption Strategy (NACS) to 2020 will be evaluated in 2015 to inform the Action Plan to 2020 at this stage. The government plan to review the NACS in 2016 to develop the action plan to 2020.