30 years of implementing population and development goals

In observance of World Population Day, July 11th:

In 1994, the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) was held in Cairo, Egypt. 179 countries, including Vietnam, adopted an action program with a broad vision in the field of population and development. All countries agreed on the view that people should be placed at the center and affirmed the close relationship between population and development.

The full integration of population issues into development strategies, planning, decision-making, and resource allocation at all levels and regions is crucial for addressing population indicators such as population growth rate, age structure, birth rate, death rate, and migration. These factors impact all aspects of human, economic , and social development.

This year's World Population Day on July 11th is celebrated with the theme: "Commemorating 30 years of implementing the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development, Cairo 1994".

A parade was held in Viet Tri city to commemorate World Population Day on July 11th.

This year's World Population Day on July 11th is celebrated with the theme: "Commemorating 30 years of implementing the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development, Cairo 1994," and the theme chosen by Vietnam is "Investing in population work is investing in sustainable development."

Over the past 30 years, Vietnam has adopted innovative approaches to address inequality and narrow the socio-economic development gap between regions and population groups.

Vietnam has also recently surpassed the 100 million population mark; it has outperformed global trends in reducing maternal mortality rates over the past 30 years and has achieved one of the highest rates of modern contraceptive use in the world.

Population growth has been successfully controlled, reaching replacement level in 2006 and remaining around that level to this day. The population structure has shifted positively. The working-age population has increased significantly. Since 2007, Vietnam has entered a period of demographic dividend. The quality of the population has improved in many aspects.

Average life expectancy has increased rapidly, significantly higher than many countries with similar per capita income. Malnutrition, maternal mortality, and child mortality have decreased sharply. The stature and physical fitness of Vietnamese people have improved. The population has become more rationally distributed, linked to urbanization, industrialization, and the requirements of socio-economic development, national defense, and security.

Since 2017, with the issuance of Resolution No. 21-NQ/TW by the Central Committee, Vietnam's population work has shifted the focus of its population policy from family planning to population and development. Population work comprehensively addresses all aspects of population size, structure, distribution, and especially quality, and places it in an organic relationship with socio-economic factors, national defense, and security to ensure rapid and sustainable development.

Along with the rest of the country, over the past 30 years, Phu Tho province's population work has undergone many changes, but has always strived and achieved many important results. From a province with a high population growth rate in the North, the average annual population growth rate during the period 2009-2019 was 1.06% (Northern Midlands and Mountains: 1.26%, national average: 1.14%). The average number of children per woman has decreased and remained above 2 children throughout the province.

The success of population control has brought about significant changes in the size, structure, and quality of the population in a way that benefits development. The population structure has changed positively, the number and proportion of dependents have decreased, and the working-age population has increased sharply. The proportion of children under 15 years old has decreased to 25%; the proportion of people aged 15-64 has remained above 65%, and Phu Tho province began entering its demographic dividend period in 2007.

The labor structure has shifted in a positive direction. The proportion of workers in the industrial and service sectors increased from 20.1% to 53.1%; while the agricultural workforce decreased from 79.9% to 46.9%. The quality of the population has improved, with the Human Development Index (HDI) reaching the national average. The rates of malnutrition and child mortality are lower than the national average. To date, over 60% of pregnant mothers and newborns have been screened, diagnosed, and received early intervention for certain diseases and disabilities.

The physical fitness of the province's population has improved. Average life expectancy has increased to a level comparable to the national average. Population distribution, linked to urbanization and industrialization, meets labor needs and addresses the imbalance between labor and employment. The increasing urban population ratio meets the human resource needs for socio-economic development, especially the labor demand in industrial zones and clusters.

Population education, awareness campaigns, and services have been implemented extensively and regularly at all levels, sectors, agencies, socio-political organizations, communities, families, and individual couples. The practical and engaging content of these campaigns has spread and deeply ingrained the message "Each couple should have only 1-2 children" throughout society.

The population service network has been widely developed and is close to the people; its quality is constantly improving. The method of providing family planning services has fundamentally changed, from public health facilities at the district level to commune health stations and private health facilities. Phu Tho is a pioneering province among the Northern Midlands and mountainous provinces in successfully implementing assisted reproductive technology.

Distributing leaflets promoting reproductive health/family planning as part of an integrated communication campaign providing services to high-birth-rate and disadvantaged areas in Tan Minh commune, Thanh Son district.

Over the past 30 years, thanks to reduced birth rates and maintaining low birth rates, the province has avoided the birth of over 150,000 people, more than the average population of a single district in the province. This result has significantly saved costs for families and society. For a province like Phu Tho, which is not yet financially self-sufficient, this is even more important in increasing investment for socio-economic development.

The achievement of population targets has directly contributed to the successful realization of the local socio-economic goals. During the period 2001-2010, GDP per capita increased 2.66 times; during the period 2011-2020, GDP in 2020 increased nearly twofold (at constant prices) and nearly fourfold (at current prices) compared to 2011.

Without effective population control measures, the province's population would increase by over 150,000 people, and GDP per capita would grow at a slower rate than in previous decades. Today, thanks to having fewer children, women have the opportunity to improve their health and participate in social work.

The results of population censuses show that smaller family sizes (the average number of people per family) have helped families save costs and increase savings. Population work has truly made a significant contribution to economic growth, social progress, and environmental sustainability; while simultaneously improving the quality of life for individuals, families, and society as a whole.

Besides opportunities and advantages, the province's population work also faces many difficulties and challenges. Phu Tho is a province with a large population (ranking 21st out of 63 provinces and cities), a high population density: 435 people/km2 (national average: 321 people/ ^km2 ), and a still high birth rate. The number of women entering childbearing age in the province will continue to increase in the coming years, directly impacting and putting pressure on the province's birth rate reduction target. The desire to have many children, the preference for sons, and gender stereotypes remain deeply ingrained.

The rapid growth of the working-age population will be a crucial resource for economic development if properly utilized; conversely, it will become a burden and easily lead to social problems if not properly exploited. Our province's demographic dividend has only met the quantitative criteria; the quality of human resources remains very limited; and there is no comprehensive solution to fully leverage the advantages of this demographic dividend.

The population is aging rapidly while socio-economic conditions are not well prepared to adapt. The majority of the elderly live in rural areas, facing many material difficulties, and the social welfare and security systems are inadequate. The healthcare network for the elderly is underdeveloped. Gender imbalance at birth is increasingly widespread, both in urban and rural areas; although the ratio has decreased, it remains quite high. Without decisive intervention measures, this will have many negative consequences for sustainable development.

Migration impacts population size and structure, creating difficulties for both the originating and destination localities. Infrastructure and social policies in many urban areas and industrial zones have not kept pace with the rate of population growth. Migrants also have limited access to basic social services.

In implementing Resolution No. 21-NQ/TW dated October 25, 2017, of the 12th Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam on population work in the new situation, the Phu Tho Provincial Party Committee issued Plan No. 47-KH/TU dated December 22, 2017, to implement Resolution No. 21-NQ/TW; the Provincial People's Committee issued Plan No. 2516/KH-UBND dated June 12, 2020, on the action plan for the 2020-2025 period of Phu Tho province to implement the Vietnam Population Strategy to 2030, which has oriented the focus of population policy from population-family planning to population and development: comprehensively and synchronously addressing issues of population size, structure, distribution, and quality, and placing them in the context of their reciprocal impact on the province's socio-economic development.

Continuing efforts to reduce the birth rate, aiming for replacement level fertility, improving the quality of the population, enhancing reproductive health, bringing the sex ratio at birth closer to the natural balance, effectively utilizing the demographic dividend, adapting to population aging; ensuring rational population distribution, and contributing to the rapid and sustainable socio-economic development of the province.

Nguyen Viet Phuong

Head of the Population/Family Planning Sub-Department

Source: https://baophutho.vn/30-nam-thuc-hien-cac-muc-tieu-dan-so-va-phat-trien-215161.htm