(VOVworld)- The mid-term Meeting of the Consultative Group for Vietnam opened in Dong Ha city in the central province of Quang Tri on Tuesday.

Photo: VNA

The forum was an opportunity for the Vietnamese Government and donors to discuss ways of boosting socio-economic development, reducing poverty and raising the efficiency in ODA utilization. Addressing the meeting, Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai said that the central provinces have received a lot of assistance from international donors with a range of projects, especially poverty reduction and dealing with natural disasters. He said that high poverty levels, unsustainable economic growth and a poor infrastructure are hindering the development of central provinces, adding that every year the region suffers badly from natural disasters and climate change.  The Deputy Prime Minister calls for more support from international donors in socio-economic development and sustainable poverty reduction:“The Vietnamese government highly values the assistance its donors provide and pledged to use the aid in an effective and transparent manner and prevent corruption. This dialogue will boost cooperative relations between the Vietnamese government and foreign donors.”

The consultative group meeting focused on poverty reduction and disaster mitigation in the central region. Minister of Planning and Investment, the World Bank Country Director for Vietnam and more than 300 ministerial and provincial leaders participated at the event.