Strengthening Capacity of People's
Elected Bodies in Vietnam

ONA-UNDP PROJECT VIE/02/007

Project Summary

Project ‘Strengthening Capacity of People’s Elected Bodies in Vietnam’ VIE/02/007 aims to strengthen capacity of the National Assembly of Vietnam (and its Secretariat) and People’s Councils to perform their constitutional functions, while increasing transparency and accountability and to develop a strategic training program for deputies at both central and local levels. The Project provides support to the decentralization process with a special focus on Provincial People’s Councils. The development objective of the Project is to strengthen the Rule of Law, facilitate democracy, protecting people rights and legal interests, and enable the public participation. The project is executed by the Office of National Assembly (the Parliament's Secretariat) and supported by United Nations Development Programme (UNDP),the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), the UK Department for International Development (DfID), and the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA). The project duration is 5 years, from 2003 to 2008.

Objectives

Development Objectives

To strengthen the Rule of Law in Vietnam, facilitate democracy, protecting the people rights and legal interests and enable the public participation.

Immediate Objectives

1. Improve the way and efficiency of functioning of the representative bodies including the National Assembly and People’s Councils.

2. Develop a strategic and practical training program for deputies at both central and local levels.

Outcomes

1. Improvement of the Lawmaking function of the National Assembly

2. Strengthening of the representative function of the National Assembly and People’s Councils

3. Capacity development of the National Assembly and the People’s Councils

Result Targets

• Enhanced capacity of members of the parliament (MPs) to initiate, analyse, debate and amend bills.
• Improved legal drafting skills of technical staff of the ONA
• Strengthened research and analysis capacity at the ONA in support of the legislative functions of the NA.
• Informed national policy debate on the amendment of the Law on Organisation of the People’s Councils and People’s Committees; Law on People’s Council deputies election
• Streamlined, effective and efficient lawmaking process
• Improved relationships between MPs’ and their respective voters and constituencies
• Development of regular public consultations process as the methodology to assess the impact of policies and legislation.
• Improved process of management of petitions and complaints from the public at large, at the NA.
• Strengthened co-ordination of the NA and its Committees and Vietnam development partners on sector-wide issues such as poverty, WTO, decentralisation policies, HIV/AIDS, etc.
• Enhanced parliamentary administration and management of parliamentary affairs
• Orientation needs of the MPs and training needs of the ONA staff, PCs’ deputies and their staff addressed
• Improved institutional capacities at People’s Councils

Areas of Intervention