PM welcomes int’l organization representatives

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung held a reception for chief representatives from United Nations organizations in Vietnam to mark UN Day on October 24.

Photo: VOV

The PM highlighted the UN’s role in the international community including promoting  peace, reducing conflicts, cooperating for mutual development and coping with climate change.

Mr Dung also spoke highly of the UN’s active cooperation and assistance in Vietnam’s development. Regarding some orientations and breakthroughs in Vietnam’s socio-economic development strategy, the PM said he hopes the UN will continue cooperating with Vietnam through consulting on policy making, technical assistance and developing human resources to ensure social welfare and security, reduce poverty, improve education, and protect the environment.

UN Resident Co-ordinator in Vietnam, Eamonn Murphy, underlined the country’s achievements in socio-economic development and poverty reduction in the context of the global economic downturn, as well as its great efforts to fulfill the Millennium Development Goals. He affirmed that the UN wanted to closely cooperate with Vietnam, especially in creating a new and sustainable growth model, improving the efficiency of public investment, developing education and training, and helping Vietnam cope with climate change. 

Japanese PM seeks strategic ties boost

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda received Defence Minister General Phung Quang Thanh and his entourage in Tokyo yesterday.

PM Noda said that the delegation's visit reflected the goodwill of both Japan and Viet Nam to boost comprehensive strategic co-operation.

Japan attached importance to developing its relations with Viet Nam and wanted the relationship to become stronger in all fields, particularly defence, he said.

Minister Thanh said that his working visit to Japan aimed to continue implementing the Viet Nam-Japan joint statement on the comprehensive development of a strategic partnership for peace and prosperity in Asia signed by the two governments in 2010.

Defence understanding

Earlier, Thanh signed a memorandum of understanding on bilateral defence co-operation with his Japanese counterpart Yasuo Ichikawa.

Ichikawa said that his ministry would capture all opportunities to maintain a tight connection with Viet Nam as part of the nation's strategy to strengthen security co-operation with ASEAN countries.

He said he highly valued Viet Nam's success as host of the ASEAN Summit and its contribution to the first ASEAN Defence Ministers Meeting-plus last year.

Thanh affirmed that Japan would be an important strategic partner of Viet Nam.

Reform discussions

In a seperate development, representatives from Vietnamese and Japanese ministries and branches discussed macro-economic reform and human resource development at a seminar in Ha Noi.

The two sides agreed to continue co-operating in technical transfers, and support science and technology universities to work as bridges between Vietnamese and Japanese enterprises. Seminar delegates underlined the need for Viet Nam to modernise its monetary transactions and enhance management.

The event was co-organised by the Viet Nam Academy of Social Sciences and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

UN ready to co-ordinate closely to help care for flood victims

The UN was always ready to help Viet Nam cope with floods, said the spokeswoman for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, Elisabeth Byrs.

Talking with a Geneva-based Viet Nam News Agency correspondent, the spokeswoman said the UN, non-governmental and international red cross organisations in Viet Nam have coordinated closely with local authorities to provide timely assistance to Vietnamese flood victims.

Byrs said that up to 700,000 Vietnamese people in the central and Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta regions have been affected by floods and the Vietnamese Government has taken effective and prompt measures to aid the victims and deal with the consequences.

The UN has so far this year provided help to 250,000 flood victims and has approved an emergency amount of US$100,000 to buy bottled water and lifebuoys for people in the flooded regions.

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies also launched a fund-raising movement to help over 10,000 families with more than 42,000 people affected by floods.

Viet Nam to take further steps to fight corruption

Delegates from the signatory parties of the UN Convention Against Corruption, civil society organisations and representatives of the private sector gathered in Marrakech yesterday for the fourth session of the Conference of the State Parties to the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC).

In the welcoming speech by Morocco's King Mohammed VI, delivered to the conference by his diplomatic aide, he wrote, "We need to emphasise the international climate in which [this conference] is taking place: The Arab Spring has flourished. Combating corruption now tops the list of our citizen's pressing concerns. The scourge of bribery and corruption has become a serious problem overlapping cross-border crime, diverse in forms and complex. Concerted efforts at international level need to be upheld by the state parties.

The ultimate goal is sustainable development for the people."

Having ratified the UN convention in 2003, Viet Nam's government has shown its commitment to fight corruption as one of its top national priorities.

Deputy General Director of the Government Inspectorate Tran Duc Luong told Viet Nam News that in the spirit of the Arab Spring that had spread through the Arab world and brought about fundamental changes, placed high on the conference agenda were the criminalisation of corruption, international co-operation and recovery of stolen assets. The UN convention requires member countries to identify a wide range of acts of corruption, including criminalising not only basic forms of corruption such as bribery and the embezzlement of public funds, but also trading in influence and the concealment and laundering of the proceeds of corruption.

Convention-ratified countries also agreed to co-operate with one another in preventing, investigating and prosecuting offenders and exchanging legal assistance, including extraditing offenders as well as tracing, freezing, seizing and confiscating the proceeds of corruption.

The recovery of stolen assets was also placed high on the agenda to coincide with pressure from civil society groups, notably Transparency International, an NGO promoting transparency in public spending and the fight against corruption. Delegates to the conference agreed that the recovery of assets was an important task for developing countries, where corruption had plundered national wealth intended for much-needed social, educational and health projects.

Nguyen Thi Kieu Vien, director of Towards Transparency in Viet Nam, a country contact point of Transparency International, said, "One of the challenges to be dealt with is creating an international fund to provide assistance, including legal assistance, in the area of assets recovery. It's important for Viet Nam to introduce an effective complaint mechanism in connection with access recovery efforts."

She added that "Viet Nam, like other state parties of the UNCAC, should be reminded of its commitments, to take appropriate measures to promote transparency and accountability in the management of public finances."

Prevention of corruption requires active participation from both the public and private sectors. Public servants and government officials must be subject to a code of conduct, implement transparent financial practice as well as being held accountable for spending public funds.

At the last meeting in Doha, Qatar in 2009, a peer review and implementation review mechanism were introduced for the first time to require state parties to produce two five-year chapters to ensure they live up to their commitment to the convention. The reviews are also necessary to sum up good practices and call on for technical support, should a country need it.

The Viet Nam country survey report, produced by Towards Transparency, has reviewed the participation of civil society organisations in assisting the government's self-assessment of its UN convention implementation. It also made analytical comparisons between domestic laws and the convention's chapters on corruption, and summed up recent key developments with recommendations to introduce amendments to legislative changes.

Prime Minister congratulates UN organisation representatives

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung received head representatives of the United Nations (UN) organisations in Viet Nam yesterday on the occasion of the UN Day.

PM Dung highlighted that Viet Nam valued the UN's role in the global community, especially in promoting peace, development co-operation, poverty reduction and climate change adaptation.

He expressed his delight at the fine development of Viet Nam-UN relations in all fields, especially the co-operation in fulfilling the Millennium Development Goals, settling emerging issues, coping with climate change, and protecting the environment and water resources.

Dung said he hoped the two sides would soon sign a co-operation programme for the 2012-16 period, in which the UN would support Viet Nam in providing policy consultation and resources in the fields of poverty reduction, education, public health and the environment, all particular strengths of the international body. As a responsible member of the UN, Viet Nam would work closely with the UN organisations to successfully implement the One UN initiative, Dung affirmed.

Speaking highly of Viet Nam's development achievements, Eamonn Murphy, acting UN Resident Co-ordinator in Viet Nam said that the UN would continue to help the country in poverty reduction, improving the environment, coping with climate change and public administration.

President Sang to visit Philippines

Vietnamese State President Truong Tan Sang will officially visit the Philippines from October 26-28 at the invitation of Philippine President Benigno S. Aquino.

During the visit, the two sides will compare notes on plans to promote cooperation in economics, trade, investment, defence, security, education, and culture, with the aim of lifting bilateral ties to a new height.

In addition, they will also discuss measures to boost cooperation at regional and international forums of mutual interest.

In recent years, trade revenues between Vietnam and the Philippines have risen considerably. By August 2011, the Philippines had 55 valid projects in Vietnam with a total capitalization of US$270 million, ranking 26^th in the list of 92 nations and territories investing in Vietnam.

President Sang’s visit to the Philippines affirms Vietnam’s consistent policy of strengthening multifaceted ties of friendship and cooperation with the Philippines, both bilaterally and internationally.

Vietnam and the Philippines established diplomatic relations in July 1976. In late 2002, they signed a framework agreement for bilateral cooperation in the first 25 year of the 21^st century and next.

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