On August 1st , MOHA Vice Minister Trieu Van Cuong worked with Mr. Michael Greene, Head of USAID / Vietnam delegation regarding the project “Strengthening Provincial Capacity”.
MOHA Vice Minister Trieu Van Cuong and Mr. Michael Greene in the meeting
Mr. Trieu Van Cuong introduced an overview of the functions and tasks of the Ministry of Home Affairs. Regarding the desire of USAID / Vietnam to cooperate and support Vietnamese organizations through the project “Strengthening Provincial Capacity”, he affirmed that MOHA would create favorable conditions for USAID / Vietnam to implement the project smoothly.
As Mr. Michael Greene stated, USAID began its operations in Vietnam in 1989. The agency implemented programs to support Vietnamese people with disability through Patrick Leahy Victims Fund and the Displaced Children and Orphan Fund (DCOF) which offered rehabilitation and orthopedic services. USAID helped to improve the health care system by supporting the training of doctors and medical staff. USAID played an important role in helping Vietnam reach global markets through the World Trade Organization (WTO) and Vietnam – USA Bilateral Trade Agreement, strengthening cooperation between Vietnam and the United States.
Currently, USAID is implementing comprehensive support programs in different areas such as economic growth, public governance, higher education, health, environment and climate change, biodiversity, support for the people with disability, disaster relief, dealing with war consequences in Da Nang and Bien Hoa. In addition, USAID has conducted some projects at the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Defense and Government Office. USAID budget is about 120 million USD / year.
The project “Strengthening Provincial Capacity”, according to Mr. Michael Greene, would strengthen capacity and sustainability of training institutions in Vietnam which are expected to provide high quality training services and capacity building to provincial officials.
Three target organizations in Vietnam to be strengthened are the National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA), University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City (UEH) and Startup Vietnam Foundation (SVF). The project will help to improve the responsiveness and economic governance capacity of provincial officials through training provided by these organizations. The target organizations play as agents of change, developing a continuous learning culture in which provincial officials actively improve their skills and cooperate with the private sector to create a strong environment for economic growth.
The project will be carried out in 4 years, from 2019 to 2023 with the total cost of about $12.5 million.
For the project outcome, provincial officials will be able to implement economic governance reforms more effectively, interact with people and the private sector to improve transparency, accountability and skills to measure and maintain successes as a result of access to high quality training opportunities.
The project beneficiaries are teaching and management staff of the three target organizations (NAPA, UEH and SVF). The project will seek to maximize the participation of women and marginalized groups in all three organizations into working groups and other project activities.
Mr. Michael Greene added that USAID does not support funding directly but through a contractor to implement the project. Contractors must undergo rigorous examination to be selected for the project implementation.
Mr. Trieu Van Cuong emphasized that Vietnam wants to cooperate with all countries, international and regional organizations in accordance with the fundamental principles of international law and the UN Charter. The Ministry of Home Affairs of Vietnam will create the most favorable conditions for USAID to implement the project, however, the agency must strictly comply with Vietnamese law and international regulations and ensure effectiveness of the project implementation.
MOHA Vice Minister Trieu Van Cuong presenting a token of hospitability to Mr. Michael Greene
