The donation was announced at a conference held in Hanoi on June 12 to boost cooperation between Ninh Thuan and foreign organisations and NGOs.

The sum will come from Oxfam, UK Action Aid, the Counterpart International of the US and the United Nations’ Population Fund (UNPFA).

Addressing the conference, the Ninh Thuan Provincial People’s Committee Chairwoman Hoang Thi Ut Lan said the province had received US$4.1 million in aid from NGOs of the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, Japan and the UK in the 1992-2007 period. The province already disbursed US$2.9 million of the total sum.

She said those projects effectively helped the province overcome difficulties, reduce poverty and develop socio-economy, especially in isolated and remote areas. In addition, the projects also helped improve the capacity of officials and local people.

At the conference, the provincial Trade and Investment Promotion Centre called for foreign investors to invest about US$406.2 million in the province’s tourism and processing industry for the next two years.