Overview
This summary of the Gender Analysis of the National Target Programme on Sustainable Poverty Reduction is an independent evaluation of the National Target Programme on Sustainable Poverty Reduction (NTP-SPR) for the period of 2016-2020. It was conducted by a consortium of organizations including CARE International in Vietnam, Oxfam in Vietnam, and SNV Viet Nam, in collaboration with the National Office on Poverty Reduction, with funding from the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. The main objective was to assess how gender equality principles were applied in the program’s implementation and what results they generated. The report provides recommendations to promote gender equality in future poverty reduction policies. The evaluation involved a review of documents and surveys in four provinces: Lao Cai, Bac Kan, Ninh Thuan, and Tra Vinh.
Key Findings
- The program’s gender mainstreaming approach was based on the principle of “giving priority to women,” but this principle was not specified into explicit mechanisms or guidance.
- While the rate of women’s participation in planning meetings was high, the quality of their participation was low due to a lack of confidence, not having a decisive voice, and other barriers.
- The gender dimension was “blurry” in infrastructure investments. There was no evidence that projects with more female beneficiaries were given priority.
- Women often played a key role in implementing production development projects but were not the key decision-makers regarding the use of the income generated. This could, in some cases, increase their existing burdens.
The full report could be achieved here, please note that the document is published in English and Vietnamese bilingually.