Hanoi (VNA) – Building a society in which development is truly for the sake
of the people is a core and consistent issue in the writings by Party General
Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong in his recently published book titled “Some
theoretical and practical issues on socialism and the path towards socialism in
Vietnam”.
The
Vietnamese Party and State have been exerting efforts to build a new society in
tandem with developing the economy, culture, education, health care and
unceasingly improving the people’s material and spiritual life, showing the
good nature of the socialist regime.
In
the article titled “Some theoretical and practical issues on socialism and the
path towards socialism in Vietnam”, General Secretary Trong stressed the people
is at the heart of the development strategies, and that cultural and human
development is both the goal and impulse of the “Doi moi” (Renewal).
Over
the past 35 years of “Doi moi”, the country has obtained significant and
historic accomplishments, strong and comprehensive development, and
considerable improvements to the people’s material and spiritual life. During
that process, it has focused on thoroughly dealing with social issues,
especially social security and welfare.
Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong (Photo: VNA)
Assoc.
Prof. and Dr. Nguyen Danh Tien, Director of the Party History Institute at the
Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics, said social affairs have always
attracted the Party and State’s special attention, which has demonstrated the
superiority of the socialist regime in Vietnam.
The
Party’s core viewpoint is that social policy must be for the people and centre
on the people, and to implement an inclusive development policy so that all
people can directly and equally benefit from development attainments, and no
one is left behind, he noted.
Statistics
show that per capita income in Vietnam increased from 200 USD in 1990 to 1,168
USD in 2010 and over 3,500 USD in 2021. The household poverty rate was brought
down from 58.1 percent in 1993 to 9.88 percent in 2015 and 2.75 percent in
2020. The country has become one of the world’s role models in poverty
alleviation.
Terence
D. Jones, an official from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
Office in Vietnam, said Vietnam is in the top group among the three of the countries in the world with the fastest progress in working towards the Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs), and also one of the best Asian performers in
implementing the global goals.
Armida
Salsiah Alisjahbana, UN Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of the
UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), also highly
valued the country’s achievements in realising the SDGs, especially in poverty
reduction.
Those
outcomes reflect the Party and State’s consistent policy of making tireless
efforts so that the people can enjoy a well-off, free, and happy life and have
conditions to develop comprehensively, thereby creating momentum for attaining
the goal of “rich people and a strong, democratic, fair, and civilised
country”.
Vietnam is stepping up the COVID-19 vaccination campaign. (Photo: VNA)
So
far, Vietnam has become a member of almost all international conventions on
human rights and committed to perform all of its duties under the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights and those conventions. The implementation of those
duties also aims to better carry out the Party and State’s policies on human
rights and people protection.
In
his article, General Secretary Trong emphasised that each economic policy must
be oriented towards social development, each social policy must aim at creating
momentum for economic development, and legal enrichment must be encouraged in
tandem with sustainable poverty reduction and care for revolution contributors
and disadvantaged people.
In
the COVID-19 fight, the Vietnamese Government has implemented many policies
oriented towards the people, protecting the people, and giving the top priority
to the people’s lives, health, and life.
Caitlin
Wiesen, UNDP Resident Representative in Vietnam, held that putting people’s
health at the centre of the COVID-19 response is a sound approach.
Another
highlight is that the country has worked to protect human rights in the context
of climate change. Director-General of the UN Office in Geneva Tatiana Valovaya
noted Vietnam is a developing country but has played a leading role and been
an examplery in the climate change combat.
Caring
for the people and working for the sake of the people have been demonstrated
throughout the development process of Vietnam’s revolution and always the top
goal that the Party and State have been aiming at./.
VNA