Focus on inspection and supervision
Identifying the important role of inspection and supervision in the implementation of Project 8, every year, the Central Committee of the Vietnam Women's Union has issued a Plan for inspection and supervision of Project 8 implementation and gender equality implementation to relevant departments, branches and provincial Women's Unions implementing the Project. Issue technical guidance documents on implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of gender equality indicators in the Program and provide training to provincial Women's Unions and relevant departments and branches in the locality.
Accordingly, from 2022 to present, the Vietnam Women's Union has conducted 01 survey, input assessment, 01 mid-term assessment of Project 8 as an important basis for building, adjusting and implementing models and activities suitable to local practices and as a basis for final assessment of the project.
According to Ms. Nguyen Thi Thu Hien - Vice President of the Vietnam Women's Union, Deputy of the Project Executive Board, immediately after the National Target Program for Socio-Economic Development in Ethnic Minority and Mountainous Areas (National Target Program 1719) was approved, the Central Committee of the Vietnam Women's Union coordinated with the Ethnic Committee to organize a Conference to deploy Project 8 and the National Target Program to 51 provinces and cities in ethnic minority and mountainous areas in November 2021; to review and evaluate the annual implementation of the Project. The Central Party Committee of the Union has issued a document to the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee, the Party Committee of the People's Committees of provinces and cities to coordinate and direct the implementation of Project 8 locally.
Thanks to that, the work of monitoring, grasping the situation and supporting localities to remove obstacles in the implementation of Project 8 has been focused on and carried out regularly, through many forms such as: Organizing online meetings to deploy, grasp the implementation situation of the Project at the beginning of the year, mid-year and preliminary and final year conferences; regularly updating weekly and monthly reports on the implementation results of the Project; issuing documents guiding the removal of obstacles and directly guiding and supporting via phone, email, organizing inspections, monitoring, and supporting the implementation of activities.
The Vietnam Women's Union has also promptly issued documents to adjust/supplement related contents; proposed to the Ministry of Finance, the Ethnic Committee to support in resolving difficulties, proposed to amend documents of the Program to create favorable mechanisms, remove obstacles for localities. 40/40 provinces allocated central budget have issued plans to implement Project 8 Phase I and annual plans to implement the Project. Up to now, the Central Union has organized 22 inspection and supervision trips, directly supporting in removing difficulties/obstacles in a number of provinces during the implementation of the Project.
According to Ms. Nguyen Thi Thu Hien, in the fourth quarter of 2024, the Central Association will conduct inspections and supervision in the following provinces: Yen Bai, Tuyen Quang, Dak Lak, Quang Tri, Dak Nong, Binh Duong, Ninh Thuan, Thua Thien Hue, Hau Giang, Quang Binh, Dien Bien, Lao Cai, Gia Lai, Lang Son, Thanh Hoa, Dak Lak, An Giang, Thai Nguyen. The inspection and supervision areas are in the districts and communes implementing the Project.
The content of inspection and supervision of the budget allocation for commune level to implement the project and the coordination of resources between national target programs. At the same time, grasp the situation, especially the difficulties in budget allocation and disbursement progress for project implementation.
Removing many shortcomings and obstacles from the grassroots
Implementing Project 8 "Promoting gender equality and solving urgent problems of women and children", Phu Tho province deployed in 05 districts of Tan Son, Thanh Son, Yen Lap, Doan Hung, Thanh Thuy with 47 communes and 222 villages benefiting from the policies.
During the implementation of the Project's activities, there were still many difficulties and problems. Specifically, in the early stages of Project 8, the Program's funding allocation to localities was slow, affecting the disbursement progress. Circulars and instructions from the Ministry of Finance were not close to reality, making it difficult to organize project activities. In addition, some expenditure norms were still low compared to the project's requirements, some regulations were unclear, and there were still problems in implementation.
Ms. Pham Thi Kim Loan, President of the Phu Tho Provincial Women's Union, said: To remove obstacles and shortcomings, in 2023, the Phu Tho Provincial Women's Union established inspection teams to monitor the implementation of Project 8 in localities implementing the Project.
“After the inspection and supervision, the Association worked directly with 2 districts: Thanh Son and Tan Son and invited the Finance and Provincial Treasury to discuss and agree, and guide the districts on specific tasks that the grassroots did not know how to do,” said Ms. Pham Thi Kim Loan. Thanks to being close to the grassroots and seriously implementing the inspection and supervision work, the Women's Union of Phu Tho province promptly removed obstacles and shortcomings. Accordingly, in the 2 years of 2022-2023, the Association at all levels launched 152 Community Communication Teams in 5 districts implementing the Project.
Localities have organized over 300 communication, propaganda and legal education activities for over 28,000 women members of ethnic minority and mountainous areas, focusing on contents such as: changing gender stereotypes in housework; reproductive health care, learning about the Law on Marriage and Family... Through communication activities, the Project has initially created a change in awareness in the community about gender equality in many areas for women and children in ethnic minority areas.
In Lai Chau, the implementation of Project 8 is still confusing. Up to now, the whole province has only achieved and exceeded 2/10 targets; 1 target has not been achieved. Some targets are low such as: 1/19 livelihood groups/teams with women as owners or co-owners apply 4.0 technology in production and market connection (reaching 0.05%)...
According to the assessment of the Lai Chau Provincial Women's Union, through inspection and supervision, there are many reasons leading to the low achievement of the above targets, such as the work of screening pregnant women and the request for payment of benefits by the Women's Union of communes is still slow. In particular, the incorrect awareness of some commune leaders, especially in border areas and areas with special economic difficulties, leads to misunderstanding of the problem.
Ms. Phan Thi Tuong, President of the Women's Union of Muong Mo Commune, Nam Nhun District, shared that the biggest problem is the payment of the policy package to support women in safe childbirth. According to regulations, only women who give birth at the Health Center are supported with this package, but because the villages are far from the district center and the roads are difficult, many women have not yet been taken to the Station or Health Center before giving birth. In addition, because the commune is currently in Region I, the beneficiaries are not entitled to the policies, and the work of mobilizing women members and the people is difficult.
Chairwoman of Lai Chau Provincial Women's Union, Khoang Thi Thanh Nga, said that in order to effectively implement Project 8, the Union will continue to direct all levels of the Union to remove difficulties and focus on implementing the project's contents and activities to ensure targets and implementation progress.
It can be seen that, in the process of implementing Project 8, although positive results have been achieved. The project effectively implemented core indicators, with 02/9 indicators exceeding the set plan. However, there are still some indicators and activities of the project that are difficult to implement, such as: Supporting the application of science and technology to enhance economic empowerment for ethnic minority women with the target beneficiaries being livelihood groups/teams, cooperatives, cooperatives owned or co-owned by women, but because the Project 8 implementation area is in communes and villages in extremely difficult areas, the target beneficiaries are few, or no target beneficiaries; the scope of the area and beneficiaries are narrowed compared to the original design of the project...
Promoting gender equality in ethnic minority and mountainous areas – Issues raised from Project 8: Practical effectiveness from innovative models (Part 2)
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