On August 21, 2007, the UN Development Programme (UNDP), the Royal Netherlands Embassy and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) jointly signed a project supporting the Ministry’s public administration reform (PAR) efforts.
The US$5 million project, of which 4.2 million is shared by the Dutch Government, will help MARD develop and apply three new strategies for speeding up administration reform: decentralization of power to lower administrative levels; outsourcing public service delivery to outside providers; and community participation in the development process. As MARD is the first ministry in the country to pilot these creative reform initiatives, it is expected to share the achievements and the lessons learned in Vietnam as well as other countries, to promote public administration reform.
“MARD sees this capacity development project as a very timely and significant PAR initiative, which will facilitate the ministry’s work in developing and piloting new and creative reform models which are essential for the successful implementation of the Resolution of the Fifth Party Plenum. We hope the lessons learned from this project will be beneficial for other government entities,” said MARD Vice Minister Vu Van Tam.
The project seeks to help MARD gradually change into a new agency focused on macro level management. At the same time, the three new strategies will allow MARD and local authorities to better meet the increasingly demanding requirements of citizens in rural areas, and in-country and overseas business clients.
The project builds on support that UNDP and the Netherlands have provided to the Ministry. Two earlier phases laid the foundation for significant changes in the organizational structure and functions and duties of the Ministry; while this new intervention will help the Ministry achieve more fundamental changes through decentralization, outsourcing, and community involvement and participation. These efforts will at the same time contribute to poverty reduction - one of the eight Millennium Development Goals.
“The project is expected to demonstrate how public administration reform can contribute to poverty reduction and the achievement of Millennium Development Goals in Vietnam, by giving the rural population, including the rural poor, an opportunity to access critical government and market information and make their voices heard in decision-making,” said Ms Setsuko Yamazaki, UNDP Country Director at the signing ceremony. “Clearly, the results and lessons that will be drawn from this project will be extremely beneficial not only for the rest of Vietnam, but may also inspire similar reforms in other countries.”
The project, with financial support from UNDP, the Dutch Government and the Government of Vietnam, will start operations in September 2007 and continue for four and half years.
LA
Vietnamese
