The event was co-organised by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the National Office for Poverty Reduction and Vietnam’s Ministry of Labour, War Invalids and Social Affairs (MOLISA).

In 2019, the UNDP implemented a project on providing technical support for ethnic minority women in Bac Kan and Dak Nong provinces so that they can apply technology in developing business and production activities and to escaping poverty independently.

In his address, MOLISA Deputy Minister Le Van Thanh said that the outcomes and lessons learnt from participating ethnic women at the event are vital for other localities in the country as well the ministry in building and implementing poverty reduction programmes in the upcoming future.

UNDP Resident Representative in Vietnam Caitlin Wiesen hailed the creativity and entrepreneurship skills of ethnic minority people, adding that the application of new technology such as e-commerce, e-payments, smartphones and internet can help them to expand markets and business reach.

Delegates at the forum shared potential outcomes, challenges and lessons learnt in implementing the model of “Linking production and business to indigenous product chains with application of e-commerce platform” and proposed solutions to effectively promote the model in other localities such as Lao Cai, Son La, Ha Giang, Hoa Binh and Kon Tum provinces.