THE OFFICE OF THE GOVERNMENT THE SOCIALISTREPUBLIC OF VIETNAM

Independence – Freedom – Happiness

Ref: 239/TB-VPCP

Hanoi, December 28th, 2005

ANNOUNCEMENT

On conclusions by the Prime Minister at the Conference of the PAR Steering Committee on 15th December, 2005

On 15th December, 2005, a conference of the PAR Steering Committee of the Government presided by the Prime Minister was held at the Office of the Government. After listening to the Review Report of the first phase (2001 – 2005) of the PAR Master Programme 2001 – 2010 and PAR orientations and mandates for the second phase (2006 – 2010) presented by Secretary General of the PAR Steering Committee, comments by Mr. Nguyen Khanh, Mr. Do Quoc Sam and opinions of members of the PAR Steering Committee, the Prime Minister came up with the following conclusions:

1. The Review Report of the PAR Master Programme implementation in the first phase (2001 – 2005) and PAR orientations and mandates in the second phase (2006 – 2010) has been well-prepared with fairly profound and adequate contents.

However, the Review Report should be further perfected so that it can truly reflect the PAR process in the past 5 years, clearly indicate the achievements, weaknesses, shortcomings and causes, and clearly identify PAR specific objectives in the next 5 years. Assessments in the Report need to be more specific and clearly highlight ministries, sectors and localities that are dynamic, having good initiatives, actively implementing PAR and achieving PAR results, as well as indicate those who have not done this job well and not fully complied with PAR regulations and disciplines.

Based on opinions by Mr. Nguyen Khanh, Mr. Do Quoc Sam and members of the PAR Steering Committee, the Secretariat will study and revise the Report to be presented at the meeting session of the Government in December 2005. After the Government discuss and provide comments on the Review Report, the Report must be quickly finalised so that the Government can organise the national PAR Conference in the first quarter of 2006.

2. After 5 years implementing PAR, we can be assured that the PAR Master Programme 2001 – 2010 launched by the Government is a right programme in terms of objectives, contents and solutions. PAR has gradually been far-reaching and become a regular mandate of the Government, ministries and equivalents, government agencies, People’s Committees of provinces, centrally-affiliated cities and districts in the whole country.

Remarkable achievements of 5 years of PAR implementation include: boosting economic growth, poverty reduction, stabilising the political and social situation, serving the people and enterprises, contributing to anti-bureaucracy and anti-corruption; initially changing the relationship between administrative agencies and the people and enterprises; functions, mandates and operational methodologies of the state administration have made progress and gradually met the requirements of developing a socialism-oriented market economy and integration into the world economy.

Despite the above achievements, the PAR progress is rather slow against the set targets and requirements of developing a socialism-oriented market economy and integration, as indicated below:

-Functions and mandates of many agencies and organisations in the state administration are overlapping; there remain many difficulties and problems regarding State-owned enterprise (SOE) management mechanisms and methodologies; there is no separation of state administrative management and management of public service delivery; the organisational structure tends to be expanding; slow reform in operational methodologies.

-The quality of the contingent of cadres and civil servants is low, in terms of awareness of responsibilities, knowledge and capacity, professional qualifications, administrative skills, foreign languages and IT skills; reform in training and education is slow especially in curricula and methodologies.

-Slow progress in socialisation of education and training, health care, culture-society, science and sports; financial regulations for income-generating public service delivery agencies are inappropriate; state management of public service is slow to be identified.

-The reasons for these weaknesses include the lack of decent ideology measures within the state administration; many leaders at central and local governments have had no proper understanding and clear awareness of responsibilities for PAR. PAR has not been seen as one of the main solutions to socio-economic growth. Operations of the PAR Steering Committees of the Government, ministries, sectors and localities are not strengthened and deepened; in some places activities are still formalised, with little research and slow review and replication of PAR initiatives at grassroots level. The Prime Minister, Ministers, Heads of ministry-level equivalents and government agencies, Chairmen of People's Committees of provinces and centrally-affiliated cities have not spent sufficient efforts on determinedly steering PAR under their areas of responsibilities.

3. The main tasks of PAR in the 2006 - 2010 period include making the administration be people-friendly, better serve the people, meet the requirements of developing a socialism-oriented market economy and integration into the world economy, and achieve the targets set in the PAR Master Programme 2001 - 2010. Specific mandates of PAR in the next 5 years include:

Firstly, tightening state administrative disciplines, strictly executing working regulations, civil service inspection and examination regulations; determined to punish and dismiss cadres and civil servants who are degenerate, harass for bribes and irresponsible.

Secondly, further reviewing current administrative mechanisms, policies and procedures in order to eliminate or amend inappropriate mechanisms and procedures that hinder life and business of the people and enterprises, and to create the most favourable condition for production, business and investment absorption.

Thirdly, continuing to revise functions of the Government, ministries and authorities at all levels towards better management and development orientation: completing decentralisation between central and local levels; clearly identifying functions and mandates and mandates of the state administration at all levels; separating state management from production/business management and public service management; identifying functions and responsibilities of representative owner and state management functions and responsibilities of state administrative agencies for SOEs.

Fourthly, reforming civil servant recruitment, utilisation, promotion, appointment and punishment; perfecting civil service institutions; building civil servant structure, standardising civil servant titles and criteria; improving training and education on professional knowledge, administrative skills, foreign language and IT for civil servants, meeting the requirements of developing a contingent of professional civil servants, modernising the administration and international integration.

Fifthly, accelerating socialisation in education and training, health care, culture, science and sports; implementing autonomy mechanisms at public service delivery agencies.

Sixthly, speeding up modernisation of the state administration with a focus on applying IT to management activities of the Government and authorities at all levels towards an e-administration (or e-government); prioritising the construction of communal authority head offices.

In order to materialise the above tasks, we need to reform and increase PAR steering and operation of the Government, the Prime Minister, ministers and chairmen of People's Committees of localities.

PAR must be carried out synchronically in the overall context of reforming the political system and in association with economic reform. The relationship between the Government, the Party, the National Assembly and juridical agencies should be further studied and clarified.

Vivid changes in PAR awareness and ideology of state administrative agency leaders at all levels must be initiated. PAR is a responsibility and mandate of administrative agencies. Agency leaders should bear responsibilities for slow and inefficient PAR.

During PAR steering, efforts must be made on studying new issues on administrative organisation and management, and reviewing from PAR practices, initiatives and experience from ministries, sectors and localities.

Perfecting the PAR Steering Committee towards increasing its competency, creating practical conditions for members of the PAR Steering Committee to bring into full play their responsibilities and capacity to assist the Prime Minister in successfully steering PAR in the 2006 - 2010 period. Supervising, guiding and examining in order to improve efficiency of PAR Steering Committees at ministries and equivalents, government agencies and provincial People's Committees.

The Secretariat is responsible for preparing the Proposal on adjusting organisation and improving working manner of the PAR Steering Committee of the Government, to be submitted to the PAR Steering Committee and the Prime Minister in Quarter I of 2006.

Sent to:MINISTER - CHAIRMAN

- The Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Ministers (to report)

- Members of the PAR Steering Committee of the Government

- Mr. Nguyen Khanh(signed)

- Mr. Do Quoc Sam

- Ministries and equivalents, government agencies

- People's Councils and People's Committees of provincesDOAN MANH GIAO

and centrally-affiliated cities

- OOG: Minister - Chairman, Chairman of Research Board,

Vice Chairmen, the Research Board, affiliated departments,

Bureaus and agencies

- Archived: PAR (5), filing (250)