Mobilizing resources for foreign non-governmental work in the new situation

On August 23, in Hanoi, the Central External Relations Commission coordinated with the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organizations (VUFO) to organize a conference to share information on foreign non-governmental (NGO) work in 2023.

The conference was chaired by Ms. Nguyen Thi Hoang Van, Deputy Head of the Central External Relations Committee; Mr. Phan Anh Son, Vice President, General Secretary of VUFO, Deputy Head of the Working Committee on NGOs, with the participation of representatives of 51 mass organizations, people's organizations and a number of inter-sectoral mechanisms; a number of agencies participating in the Working Committee on NGOs.

At the Conference, Deputy Head of the Central External Relations Commission Nguyen Thi Hoang Van highly appreciated VUFO, as the standing agency for foreign non-governmental organizations, for proposing and organizing the first conference to share information with mass organizations and people's organizations.

Ms. Van affirmed that the work of mobilizing foreign non-governmental resources has made positive contributions to the cause of national construction and development, reflected in the value of aid mobilized annually, with very specific achievements, contributing to different fields in the cause of national construction and development, meeting the priorities and needs of Vietnam.

Huy động nguồn lực cho công tác phi chính phủ nước ngoài trong tình hình mới

Conference scene. (Photo: Ha Anh)

Achievements in non-governmental work are also reflected in the widespread participation of localities, ministries, branches and people's organizations.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Hoang Van emphasized that the Party and State pay great attention to and highly appreciate the participation of people's organizations in this important field of work. The Party's guiding documents on foreign non-governmental work have been around for a long time, such as Directive No. 19-CT/TW dated January 24, 2003 of the Secretariat of the 9th tenure on foreign non-governmental work; Conclusion No. 98-KL/TW dated June 28, 2014 of the Secretariat (11th tenure) on continuing to implement Directive No. 19/CT-TW.

It is expected that in the coming time, the Central External Relations Commission will preside over and advise the Secretariat to summarize 10 years of implementing Conclusion No. 98 KL/TW on foreign affairs work.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Hoang Van stated: "The consistent viewpoint and policy of our Party and State is to encourage and create favorable conditions for non-governmental activities to mobilize resources and take advantage of international resources for the cause of national construction and development."

Emphasizing that the world, regional and domestic situation in the coming time poses many new issues and contents for foreign affairs in general and foreign non-governmental work in particular, the Deputy Head of the Central External Relations Commission asked delegates to express opinions, share experiences and problems in practical work in order to remove difficulties, thereby contributing to improving the quality and effectiveness of foreign non-governmental work.

At the Conference, Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Hung, Head of the People's Aid Coordination Board, reported on the current situation of NGOs' activities in Vietnam and the cooperation with central organizations and people's organizations. The report pointed out the achievements, limitations and recommendations for the future.

Representative of the Foreign Economic Relations Department, Ministry of Planning and Investment reported on the assessment of the situation of central mass organizations and people's organizations implementing Decree No. 80/2020/ND-CP of the Government.

Reports here show that by the end of 2022, there were 388 NGOs operating in Vietnam. NGO aid focuses on areas such as solving social problems, socio-economic development, natural resources - environment and health. Foreign NGOs have provided support to meet Vietnam's needs for socio-economic development and improving people's lives.

During the 2020-2022 period, Vietnam received more than 677 million USD in aid from foreign NGOs. The activities of foreign NGOs contribute to increasing international understanding of Vietnam's country, people, and policies; and fighting against false allegations about Vietnam on issues of democracy, human rights, ethnicity, and religion.

At the Conference, representatives of mass organizations and people's organizations such as the Central Committee of the Vietnam Red Cross Society, the Central Committee of the Vietnam Association of Victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin... shared issues related to mobilizing, receiving aid, and cooperating with NGOs.

All questions and comments were answered, recorded and accepted by the Central External Relations Commission and VUFO to help the work of PCPNN achieve new achievements in the coming time.

Directive No. 12-CT/TW dated January 15, 2021 of the Secretariat (Term XIII) on strengthening the Party's leadership and improving the effectiveness of people-to-people diplomacy in the new situation emphasized the requirement for foreign non-governmental work: to mobilize and diversify resources to serve the country's socio-economic development in accordance with Vietnamese law and international practices, ensuring a harmonious combination between the interests of the organization and the interests of the nation and people.

The State has issued documents to institutionalize the Party's resolutions and directives. The most recent is Decree No. 80/2020/ND-CP of the Government on the management and use of non-refundable aid not included in official development assistance from foreign agencies, organizations and individuals for Vietnam.

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