Finnish Support to National Targeted Programmes for Poverty Reduction in Vietnam – Phases I & II
The mission involved assessment of the Vietnamese Government's plans for targeted poverty programme 2006-10: – general assessment as a part of donor community; specific Finnish assessment on the detailed targeting of Finnish funding to one of the targeted poverty programmes.
The Government of Vietnam's National Targeted Programmes (NTPs) are a key instrument for poverty reduction, and represent one important component of the implementation of Vietnam's Comprehensive Poverty Reduction and Growth Strategy (CPRGS). Finland considers the NTPs to be in principle eligible for targeted budget support, as far as overall budgetary execution and policy coherence aspects are concerned. Finland tentatively plans to support some of the NTPs during 2006-2010. An actual funding decision is dependent on success in the above-mentioned steps remaining in the planning and appraisal processes.
The team of consultants was expected to provide services through involvement in the planning and appraisal processes, whenever possible jointly with other donor agencies, to assess the quality of the documents for HEPR in 2006-10 and P135 in 2006-10. It was requested to provide situation analyses and thematic analyses on a timely manner for the planning process. The mission involved assessment of the Vietnamese Government's plans for targeted poverty programme 2006-10: – general assessment as a part of donor community; specific Finnish assessment on the detailed targeting of Finnish funding to one of the targeted poverty programmes.
This included analysis and reporting on:
– Analysis for the MFA on whether P135 and its components fulfil the concrete requirements for Finnish targeted budget support (including operational analysis, financial management, options for support)
– Analysis for the MFA on whether HEPR and its components fulfil the concrete requirements for Finnish targeted budget support
– Information/support options for the MFA on the needs for capacity building at local level during NTP implementation and possible modalities to provide it.
– Analysis of Effective storage and use of HEPR assessment and related data at local level
– Analysis and proposals for local contribution mechanisms that are more inclusive and pro-poor
– Analysis of the issues related to land redistribution
It also included a Joint Donor Review Mission (in Hoa Binh & Hanoi) of the activities funded by DfID during 2005 within Program 135, and work with the Council for Ethnic Minorities and MoLISA regarding the planning of the NTPs.
In 2006, the work was extended to provide support to CEMA in the Preparation Of Implementation Guidelines For SEDEMA 2006 – 2010 (Social-Economic Development Programme for Extremely Difficult Communes in Ethnic Minority and Mountainous Areas for period from 2006 to 2010). This involved the preparation of implementation guidelines and related information dissemination campaigns and included 3 main tasks:
1. Support CEMA in the preparation of guideline for provinces to organise a management board for SEDEMA at district and commune levels in a manner which guarantees coordination with other NTPs and other activities.
2. Support CEMA in the preparation of guideline on local contributions
3. Support CEMA in the preparation of propaganda campaign on SEDEMA 2006-2010.