The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) are set to work together to implement a coordinated programme to support socio-economic development, in the central highlands province of Kon Tum.

The US$5 million programme, which will run until 2010, is expected to improve the skills of local authorities, as well as the quality and delivery of social services in the province, the UNDP said in a press release, on April 11.

John Hendra, UN resident coordinator in Vietnam, said that the joint effort links important local capacity building components to integrated programming in the areas of health, nutrition, reproductive health, education, and hygiene and sanitation.

Located in the northern Central Highlands, Kon Tum is one of the poorest provinces in the country. Nearly a third of its men, women and children live below the international poverty line, and less than half have access to safe water and adequate sanitation.