Vietnam has achieved three important Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)on poverty elimination, primary education universalisation, andpromoting gender equality, according to a draft MDG Report 2013.

The report was released at a consultation workshop on a draft MDGReport 2013 which was held by the Ministry of Planning and Investmentand the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) on September 17 inHanoi.

The document reviews the progress of MDGsimplementation of Vietnam until 2013 as well as highlights Vietnam’sachievements.

In addition to MDGs on poverty,education and gender equality, Vietnam is likely to reach MDGs onreducing child mortality and improving maternal health by 2015.

The country has also made significant advances in implementing otherMDGs, including prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS, malaria and otherserious diseases.

The report also points out thechallenges that Vietnam has to face in the coming years such as thewidening gap between rich and poor among the regions and populationgroups, along with climate change issue.

The reportshows the Vietnamese Government’s strong commitment to monitoring,reporting and implementing the MDGs as the country flexibly integratesMDGs into the Socio-Economic Development Plan for 2011 – 2020 period,particularly for 2011 – 2015.

The MDGs, establishedin 2000, consist of a set of heuristics for education, poverty, healthand other areas. The hope is that participating nations will achieve thegoals by 2015.

Of all the MDGs, Vietnam has madethe most impressive progress on MDG 1 on poverty reduction. From 58.1percent in 1993, the country's poverty rate decreased to 14.5 percent1in 2008, a reduction of 75 percent. The food poverty rate reduced bymore than two-thirds, from 24.9 percent in 1993 to 6.9 percent in 2008.

Poverty has been alleviated among all demographicgroups, in urban and rural areas, and across geographical regions.Progress in reducing malnutrition has also been significant, fallingfrom 41 percent to 11.7 percent in 2011.-VNA