The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has pledged US$2 million in aid to help Ho Chi Minh City accelerate administrative reform.

A document outlining the pledge was signed between the UNDP and municipal authorities on April 24.

The money will support the development of a model to better manage urban development in the city as well as build an effective information management system for investors and businesses, according to UNDP Country Director in Vietnam Setsuko Yamazaki.

The four-year project, starting in 2008, is estimated to cost a total of more than US$3.3 million.