Developments in Vietnam

Developments in Vietnam

  • Submitted By: jamesberlin
  • Date Submitted: 03/05/2010 5:41 AM
  • Category: English
  • Words: 1626
  • Page: 7
  • Views: 439

It is my privilege to be here with you today representing the United Nations in Viet Nam. We appreciate the opportunity to participate with the Viet Nam Academy of Social Sciences in this event, and I would like to thank Prof Do Hoai Nam and Dr Nguyen Xuan Thang and all those at VASS who have contributed their time, effort and resources towards a better understanding of migration and its links to development and poverty reduction. I have no doubt your extensive research and unwavering support for evidence-based policymaking is of great value to the people of Viet Nam.

Today’s theme is of importance not only to Viet Nam, but also to many other countries around the world. In fact, migration is the theme of this year’s global Human Development Report, commissioned by UNDP, and so we felt it would be appropriate to launch the 2009 HDR in Viet Nam as part of today’s events. I will leave the introduction of this document to my colleague Christophe Bahuet who will present the highlights of that report. For my part, I would like to share a few thoughts on the policy implications of migration within Viet Nam.

Migration has been a theme of humankind since our ancestors left Africa about one hundred thousand years ago, and it continues today in virtually every country, though for a variety of different reasons

Viet Nam has experienced significant internal migration during different historical periods, including in recent decades. It is clear that the primary driver of this recent wave of migration has been the rapid economic development of the country over the past 20 years. People have moved in search for a better life, and are drawn to jobs offered in Viet Nam’s growing cities and industrial zones.

And this brings me to the main two messages I would like to share today: first, that migrants are a key driving force behind Viet Nam’s socio-economic development – but so far their contributions have not been fully recognized. And second, that many migrants...

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