UNICEF's support to mitigate inequity in primary education Presentation at the Minorities Forum 27 November, 2012, Geneva Latta Sylwander, UNICEF Representative, Viet Nam Article 4.5 of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities states that: "States should consider appropriate measures so that persons belonging to minorities may participate fully in the economic progress and development of their country" Viet Nam is a country with around 86 million inhabitants and 54 ethnic groups. The majority Kinh and Hoe ethnic groups account for about 86 per cent of the total. The other 52 ethnic groups have population sizes ranging from a few hundred to around 1 million people and account for about 14 per cent of the total population. These ethnic minority (EM) groups mainly live in scattered settlement patterns especially in the Northern Uplands and Central Highlands regions. Ethnic minority groups each have their own language, and traditional culture and religious beliefs, which form the basis of their identity. Albeit the country's fast socio-economic development that has earned the country the Middle Income Status, opportunities to benefit from these achievements have not been equally distributed among different ethnic groups. In 2008, half of EM households were living under the poverty line while the rate of the Kinh majority was less than 9 per cent. In the same year, 62% of EM children were from families living under the monetary poverty line and were deprived from a minimum in at least two of the domains of education, health, shelter, water and sanitation, labour, and social inclusion, three times higher than the rate among Kinh/Hoa children. Perceptions towards EM as well as outright stigma and discrimination are also drivers of inequity and exclusion of EM. The issue of prejudice and perception was prominently highlighted in the report of the UN Independent expert on minority issues. Education