A/HRC/17/34/Add.1 Poverty Reduction and Growth Strategy (2003) and the Socio-Economic Development Plan 2006-2010 (2006) are grounded in the recognition of the mutually reinforcing nature of economic development and poverty reduction. However, in the light of evidence that poverty is increasingly resistant to growth alone, the independent expert welcomes the fact that both documents clearly highlight the need to address emerging inequalities in order to secure sustainable poverty reduction and recognize the crucial role that social protection can play. The Socio-Economic Development Plan proposes enhancing policies in order to achieve universal social insurance coverage and national targeted social assistance programmes. The plan also includes a number of measures to increase access to basic social services.11 However, the independent expert also notes that both strategies make no direct reference to the fulfilment of human rights obligations related to these aims. III. The situation of persons vulnerable to extreme poverty 18. The independent expert visited a number of Vietnamese communities living in poverty, in urban and rural areas. In collective and individual meetings with local inhabitants, she gained an insight into their difficult living conditions, which are characterized by challenges in the exercise of various economic, social and cultural rights which Viet Nam has committed to respect, protect and fulfil for all its population without discrimination of any kind. 19. As in her previous missions, the independent expert identified groups that are particularly vulnerable to extreme poverty and that require specific initiatives to overcome the impact of economic deprivation and social exclusion. The subsections below summarize the human rights concerns regarding these groups. A. Ethnic minorities 20. The independent expert is particularly concerned about the situation of ethnic minorities in Viet Nam. Although the Government has made considerable efforts and poverty reduction has taken place across all population groups, the situation of ethnic minorities remains critical. While in 1990 only 18 per cent of those living in poverty belonged to ethnic minorities, by 2008 ethnic minorities accounted for almost 56 per cent of this group.12 While this drastic increase is partly attributable to the upward readjustment of the poverty line, it is nevertheless indicative of the extremely vulnerable situation of ethnic minorities. 21. In Viet Nam there are officially 54 ethnic groups. The majority group, known as the Kinh, represents 85.7 per cent of the population. The main obstacles for minorities are the difficult geographical location and language barriers. Seventy-five per cent of the minority population of Viet Nam lives in rural and remote areas, mainly in the Northern Mountains and the Central Highlands, with poor infrastructure and limited access to health care, education and other Government services. 13 While Vietnamese is the official language in Viet Nam, many minority communities do not interact in Vietnamese and speak their ethnic languages. 11 12 13 Viet Nam Ministry of Planning and Investment, “The Five-Year Socio-Economic Development Plan – 2006-2010”, p. 92. Viet Nam MDG National Report 2010, p. 114. World Bank, Country Social Analysis: Ethnicity and Development in Vietnam: Summary Report (2009), p. 13. 7