The mid-term Consultative Group (CG) Meeting for Vietnam will be held in the central coastal city of Nha Trang, Khanh Hoa province on June 9.

On view on the importance of improving the efficiency of using foreign aid for develoment projects in Vietnam, Minister of Planning and Investment Vo Hong Phuc said Vietnam has always attached great importance to improving the efficiency of using foreign aid since the country opened relations with developed countries, big donors and international organisations. Vietnam placed attention on improving quality and quantity, considering them important factors for economic growth and creating conditions for the country to pay off its debts early.

Minister Phuc stressed that the Vietnamese Government considered its relationship with donors in the Partnership Group for Aid Effectiveness (PGAE), which was established two years ago based on the Paris Declaration and Hanoi Core Statement on aid effectiveness, as special, harmonious and equal and the two sides proposed measures to improve the efficiency of using aid. Cooperation between Vietnam and the group is effective and the two sides have made great efforts to boost the benefits for aid for the recipients and the responsibility of donors.

In the next five years, foreign investment will continue to play an important role in Vietnam’s economic development, and official development assistance (ODA) is also an important source. Therefore, improving aid effectiveness is of great significance in the near future.

Regarding Vietnam’s dealing with corruption in the use of foreign aid, Minister Phuc said corruption is a problem that captures great attention from the Party, the Government and people from all walks of life. The commitment to fight it was realised by the National’s Assembly’s approval of the Anti-corruption Law, which came into effect from June 1.

At the monthly meeting in April, the Government approved the list and functions of the National Anti-corruption Steering Committee headed by the Prime Minister.

The Party, State and Vietnamese people consider corruption as a national scourge which hampers the country’s development and erodes the trust of people and donors.

Vietnam has always closely co-operated with donors in the fight against corruption. The Government has also expressed its strong determination to deal with corruption at mid-term and annual consultative group meetings.

Recently, a corruption case at the Ministry of Transport’s Project Management Unit 18 (PMU18) was detected which affected donor trust in Vietnam. Vietnam pledges to strictly deal with those involved in the case, regardless of their position. The case will also be discussed openly and frankly at the coming CG Meeting in Nha Trang city.

VOV