Recently, Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc signed Decision No. 588/QĐ-TTg approving the “Program to Adjust Birth Rates Suitable for Target Regions by 2030.”
Accordingly, the goal is to increase the total fertility rate by 10% in provinces and cities with low birth rates (an average of fewer than 2 children per woman of childbearing age) by 2030; reduce the total fertility rate by 10% in provinces and cities with high birth rates (an average of more than 2.2 children per woman of childbearing age); and maintain results in provinces and cities that have reached replacement fertility levels (an average of 2 to 2.2 children per woman of childbearing age).
To achieve this goal, the Prime Minister requires strengthening the leadership of all levels of authorities. Continue to deeply grasp the shift in population work from focusing on reducing births to maintaining replacement fertility levels. Achieve a unified awareness in leadership and direction of the movement to ensure each family, couple has enough 2 children, raises children well, and builds a progressive, happy family.
Focus on leading and directing the implementation of low birth rates in localities with high birth rates, maintaining results in places that have reached replacement fertility levels, and ensuring 2 children in areas with low birth rates.
For localities with high birth rates, continue to apply and improve the effectiveness of supportive and encouraging policies such as encouraging couples, families, groups, and communities not to have a third child or more; supporting people in accessing family planning services, including contraceptive methods; training and supporting those who provide services and promote family planning…
In this Decision, the Prime Minister requests local authorities that have achieved replacement fertility and have low birth rates to research and issue measures to support couples in having two children. Some supportive and encouraging contents that need to be piloted are as follows:
+ Support for counseling and providing marriage and family services: Develop clubs for lifelong companionship, support young men and women in forming friendships; health counseling before marriage; encourage men and women to marry before the age of 30, not to marry late, and to give birth early, with women having their second child before the age of 35…
+ Pilot and expand services friendly to workers such as picking up and dropping off children, childcare, milk banks, family doctors…
+ Support for women during pregnancy, childbirth, and having two children: Counseling, maternal and child health care including infertility screening, prenatal and postnatal screening, malnutrition prevention; creating conditions for women to return to work after childbirth; reducing personal income tax; exempting and reducing public utility contributions by household…
+ Gradually piloting measures to increase social and community responsibility towards individuals who do not wish to marry or marry too late.
At the same time, abolish regulations of organizations, agencies, units, and communities related to the goals of reducing births, criteria for reducing third children and beyond…
This Decision takes effect from April 28, 2020.