'Leaving no one behind' when applying the new multidimensional poverty standard

(Chinhphu.vn) - On the afternoon of November 14, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha worked with the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment and relevant ministries and branches on the project of the National Multidimensional Poverty Standards Decree for the 2026-2030 period.

Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha works with the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment and relevant ministries and branches on the project of the National Multidimensional Poverty Standards Decree for the 2026-2030 period - Photo: VGP/Minh Khoi

At the meeting, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha said that the adjustment of the national multidimensional poverty standard related to indicators of education , health, environment, employment, etc. aims to meet the development goals set when the country enters a "new era", aiming for double-digit growth and the goal of becoming a developed country with modern industry and high average income by 2030.

However, adjusting indicators on multidimensional poverty standards, especially income indicators, requires careful assessment of impacts, with sufficient political , legal, scientific, practical, and feasible bases, "based on measurable data".

“Double-digit growth must benefit all people, especially poor households, so they have the opportunity to change their lives,” said the Deputy Prime Minister.

According to the report of the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, the promulgation of the Decree on national multidimensional poverty standards for the 2026-2030 period is the basis for determining and accurately and comprehensively identifying poor and near-poor households to implement poverty reduction and social security policies and programs nationwide; as a basis for determining and implementing poverty reduction goals and targets for the 2026-2030 period.

The Deputy Prime Minister further noted that it is necessary to ensure the principle of "leaving no one behind" when applying the new multidimensional poverty standard - Photo: VGP/Minh Khoi

The Ministry of Agriculture and Environment proposed a national multidimensional poverty standard for the 2026-2030 period with income criteria (in rural areas: 2.2 million VND/person/month; in urban areas: 2.8 million VND/person/month).

The draft decree inherits the criteria on employment (jobs; dependents in households); education (educational level of adults; school attendance of children); health (nutrition; health insurance); housing (average housing area per capita, housing quality) in the multidimensional poverty standard for the period 2022-2025.

Adjusted criteria: Increase income levels associated with sustainable development goals, ensure a gradual increase in minimum living standards; improve the quality of information access; change the measurement index for access to clean water sources and hygienic toilets (auxiliary works), and add a waste treatment index.

According to the plan, when applying the national multidimensional poverty standard for the period 2026-2030, in 2026 the multidimensional poverty rate of the whole country will be 11.7% corresponding to 3,297 million households, an increase of about 904 thousand households compared to the beginning of the period 2022-2025. The total estimated cost incurred in 2026 to implement social security policies for poor and near-poor households according to the new multidimensional poverty standard is 39 trillion VND, an increase of about 24 trillion VND compared to the data on implementing social security policies according to the current multidimensional poverty standard in 2025.

At the meeting, representatives of ministries and branches agreed on the necessity of adjusting multidimensional poverty standards in accordance with development reality and growth targets for the 2026-2030 period.

The representative of the Ministry of Finance said that it is necessary to comprehensively evaluate support policies for poor and near-poor households in the fields of health, education, free hospital fees, livelihood support, temporary housing elimination, etc. before proposing the time to apply the new multidimensional poverty standard; at the same time, ensuring budget balance in the context of needing to prioritize increased investment spending, focusing on development, national security and defense, science and technology, education, health, digital transformation, etc.

The adjustment of the national multidimensional poverty standard is related to indicators on education, health, environment, employment, etc. to meet the development goals set when the country enters a "new era" - Photo: VGP/Minh Khoi

Concluding the meeting, the Deputy Prime Minister requested that in 2026, the poverty line will continue to be applied as in the 2020-2025 period.

The adjustment of income criteria will be based on the synthesis of support resources from national target programs. This criterion level will be evaluated and updated in 2027 to accurately reflect the actual benefits of poor households. The Deputy Prime Minister emphasized that the adjustment only applies to the income criterion, while other criteria will be kept unchanged or supplemented depending on the actual implementation.

The Deputy Prime Minister further noted that it is necessary to ensure the principle of "leaving no one behind" when applying the new multidimensional poverty standard, while balancing it with the general income level and minimum wage, ensuring that poor and near-poor households fully benefit from the policy.

Minh Khoi

Source: https://baochinhphu.vn/khong-de-ai-o-lai-phia-sau-khi-ap-dung-chuan-ngheo-da-chieu-moi-102251114174932509.htm