(VOVworld) – A conference opened in Buon Ma Thuot city on Tuesday to review ethnic minority affairs in the central and central highlands regions.

Improving the lives of more than 12 million ethnic minority people in these regions has been an important part of Vietnam’s socio-economic development strategy. Over the last year, the local poverty rate has been reduced by 3-4% a year due to improved necessary infrastructure. The delegates agreed that greater efforts were needed from now until 2020 to achieve sustainable growth in the central and central highlands regions.