2010/2011 British Embassy funded projects in Vietnam
Published 16 August 2013
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0.1 UK – Vietnam Fund
The Fund is a flexible and effective tool that enables the Embassy to support projects linked to our priorities in Vietnam. In the financial year 2010/2011, the UK-Vietnam Fund supported 25 projects in Vietnam with the total funding of 221,000 GBP.
Various projects were deployed with the focus on promoting good governance and transparency in Vietnam. One of the prominent projects is the British Embassy’s support to the Office of the National Assembly (ONA) to build an interactive website Yoosk. It was designed for the public to raise online questions to the NA Deputies and get answers from them. This website is a landmark initiative that has made significant contributions to increasing the engagement between the NA Deputies and voters, thus improving the transparency of the NA consultation and accountability mechanisms. Recognizing the success and importance of this website, the ONA has successfully secured state budget funding for the continued maintenance and running of this website, thus ensuring the sustainability of this project in the long run.
Other projects covered a series of training courses to equip the NA Deputies with specific skills such as the use of Regulatory Impact Assessments as an effective tool to scrutinize and improve the quality of draft laws, and challenge the government on questions of public interests.
The British Embassy also worked with the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics and Public Administration (HCMA) to organise a workshop which improved significantly the awareness for 50 Vietnamese law and policy makers, public officers and scholars about rule of law, good governance and anti corruption. A compilation of more than 20 presentations at the workshop is now widely referred to by students of the HCMA and other Vietnamese academic institutions. An overall report from the workshop was also submitted to relevant institutions on proposals and recommendations in disseminating role of rule of law and good governance in fighting corruption.
Assisting Vietnam in its efforts to improve the media environment through various training activities and workshops has also been one of the Embassy priorities. The media training courses for government spokespersons jointly organised by the Embassy and the Ministry of Information and Communications in November 2010 equipped more than 60 officials from government agencies at central and provincial levels with practical skills to handle media requests in a professional and effective manner.
The press complaints workshop in early 2011 was another chance for the UK experts to share experience with more than 70 government officials, representatives of media associations and agencies. Such best practice as the Editors’ Code of Practice of the UK’s Press Complaints Commission was highly appreciated by the participants. At the closing session, the participants agreed to keep on sharing information in this area and further cooperating in order to shape up a legal framework for resolving the press complaints in Vietnam.
In partnership with the British Council, the Embassy provided seed funding to enable the project “ I am talented” to commence. The project will enhance the Vietnamese young people’s understanding about the UK as a country that nurtures comprehensive personal development including talents and creativity. This have been done through a series of lively and interesting game shows broadcast on the Vietnamese Television channel early 2012.
0.2 Human Rights & Democracy Fund
The Fund aims at projects around the world that help progress the UK’s priorities in the areas of rule of law, human rights and democracy.
Following are notable projects in Vietnam in the financial year 2010/2011. We sponsored MediaPro project which aimed at enhancing the undergraduate journalism training programme in Vietnam by developing a new modularised curricula with a greater emphasis on practice, professional ethics and more inputs from the industry. This project at the same time supported Vietnam Journalists Association to revise its Code of Ethics to make it more practical and reflect internationally - accepted standard.
The British Embassy supported the cooperation between the Danish Institute of Human Rights and the People’s Police Academy to promote the application of international human rights standards in law enforcement and policing in Vietnam. This project facilitated international academic and operational exchange of experience and models for human rightscompliant police training in criminal investigations.