Print article

UK announces its national support program for VN

VNGOP – The UK Department for International Development (DFID) today, May 20, officially announced its National Support Program for Việt Nam in the period of 2007-2011. Accordingly, the UK Government will give an annual non-refundable aid of £50 million to Việt Nam until 2011.

May 20, 2008 9:04 PM GMT+7

DFID chief representative in Việt Nam Donal Brown (right): The program will facilitate poverty reduction, enabling Việt Nam to gain MDGs – Photo: VNGOP

Under this program, DFID will focus on three fields: Ensuring strong economic growth and opportunities for the poor when Việt Nam is deeply integrating into the world economy; Raising quality and comprehensiveness of fundamental services for the poor; and Increasing effectiveness and responsibility of the State management.

This second National Support Program of its kind in Việt Nam is designed in thorough reference to different partners, including ministerial agencies, donors, non-governmental organizations, research institutes, and the private sector.

At the press briefing to announce the program, DFID Chief Representative in Việt Nam Donal Brown stated that the Program will facilitate Việt Nam’s poverty reduction and enable the country to fulfill its millennium development goals. Mr. Donal Brown believed that the Program will be a good foundation for the UK’s contributions to Việt Nam’s socio-economic development.

The Program is part of the agreement on development partnership inked between the two governments during Vietnamese PM Nguyễn Tấn Dũng's visit to the UK in March 2008, on the basis of joint commitments on poverty alleviation, State management, and respect to international human rights conventions.

By Xuân Hoàng