1. Communication Workshop
POVERTY ALLEVIATION AND PRO-POOR POLICIES
Tentative Schedule
- Time: 8.30am – 11.00am, 15 September 2011
- Venue: IFAD Vietnam Office, Kim Ma, Ba Dinh District, Hanoi
- Expected Participants: 25 (20 from media agencies, 5 from key partners
and stakeholders such as VCCI, MARD/RUDEC and MPI)
- Background: Information enables policy makers to make informed choices
based on feedback from the people and has an impact in enhancing the
effectiveness of implementation of poverty alleviation strategies. In addition,
information allows everyone, including poor rural people, to have a voice to
influence decisions. The poor rural people are empowered to become
stakeholders of development.
- The active on-going involvement of the mass media is crucial to achieving
awareness among public and private stakeholders of the need for poverty
reduction and pro-poor policies.
- Objectives: This workshop aims at deepening the understanding of local
media agencies about the importance of poverty reduction and pro-poor
policies. It will also offer an opportunity for open discussions among IFAD
and media about (1) How media can collaborate more effectively on poverty
and agricultural related issues to influence the policy agenda; (2) How the
media help deliver the related messages/information to policy-makers, civil
society, mass organizations and the general public pro-actively, correctly

2. and quickly and (3) to clarify any questions and/or confusion about pro-poor
policies and the role that the agricultural sector can play in this process.
- Targeted agencies: Around 20 key media agencies including Vietnam
News; Vietnam Business Forum (VCCI); Vietnam News Agency; Radio
Voice of Vietnam; Nông Nghiệp (Agricultural Newspaper); Pháp Luật (Law
Newspaper of MOJ), Đại biểu Nhân dân (People’s Deputy Newspaper of
National Assembly), Voice of Vietnam (Government and Citizens Program),
Hanoi Moi, Vietnam Investment Review, Vietnam Economic Times,
InvestTV, VTC, Vietnam Net, Thanh Nien (Young People), online
newspapers of the Communist Party and others.

3. - Schedule:
8.30am Arrival and Registration (with tea and coffee)
8.35 ~ 8.50 Opening remarks by a key local partner
Atsuko Toda, IFAD Country Manager (which covers IFAD values
and overall approach and programming in Vietnam)
Session 1 Focus and aims of today’s discussion
8.50~ 9.00 Introductory Session – Why are we here today?
Pham Tung Lam
Open questions to reporters about media perspectives on:
1) Understanding poverty alleviation and pro-poor policies;
2) Expectations from this media workshop,
3) Vietnam’s reality – issues and problems.
Session 2 Vietnam Context
9.00~9:30 A presentation by Nguyen Thanh Tung
Poverty Alleviation and Pro-poor policies – Why should the media
care? The role of media in promoting public dialogue on poverty
issues.
Session 4 How the media can develop stories on poverty in Vietnam
9:30~10.00 Key notes by a senior editor
- Story angles that cover poverty alleviation
- Practical experiences
- How to raise better awareness and deliver the message of this
important issue to the public
- What challenges have journalists faced in planning and writing
stories on poverty
-Lessons learnt from well written stories
10.00~10.10 Coffee break
10.10~10.30 Panel Q&A– Atsuko Toda, Tung and the senior editor
10.30~11.00 Proposal development
11.00~11.30 Presentation of initial proposals by participants
11:30 Closing Remarks and Follow up
12:00 Lunch & Informal exchange