Italy Supports Poverty Reduction in Central Highlands

On 25th October, the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs approved the financing of the “Pilot project on poverty reduction in the Central Highlands (Ia Pa District, Gia Lai Province)” for a total amount of 1.3 million euros.

 

The three-year project is due to begin early in 2006 and will be implemented by the International Fund for Agricultural Development of the United Nations (IFAD). It will focus on the six poorest communes in the district of Ia Pa (Gia Lai Province). The primary target group will be comprised of 46 villages of poor rural households and women, mainly Jarai and Bana ethnic minorities.

 

The overall goal of the project is to improve the socio-economic status of the poorest ethnic communities via the implementation of community-based development approaches. It will additionally aim to develop implementation capacity in rural development for poverty reduction.

 

The financing of this project is the confirmation of the Italian commitment to assist the Vietnamese Government in its efforts of poverty eradication. This initiative also aims at contributing to the enhancement of human rights as well as to the emancipation of ethnic minorities and will mark an important step in strengthening bilateral co-operation between Italy and Vietnam.