MEDIA RELEASE
Released By:
Downer
Australia will help Vietnam measure the results of aid, under an agreement I
signed in Hanoi yesterday with Vietnam's Minister for Planning and
Investment, Mr Vo Hong Phuc.
Australia will provide A$5.4m (VND 55 billion) for the three year project,
to commence later this year, with the Government of Vietnam in-kind
contribution worth VND 15.3 billion. The new system will allow the Vietnamese
Government to check on whether aid project timetables are being met, funds
disbursed and outputs delivered. A set of key aid performance indicators
will be piloted for five line ministries and in seven provinces. A
monitoring and evaluation manual and an aid Management Information System will
be also developed and implemented.
Vietnam is one of the biggest recipients of overseas aid in the world, with
about $US2.5 billion pledged to Vietnam annually. Most of this is in the
form of concessional loans that must be repaid. It is essential both for
Vietnam and for international donors to ensure this assistance is well
used.
We will make sure the new system measures aid quality as well as quantity
and that Vietnam is able to assess the sustainability of the aid it
receives.
It will also help Australia maintain its high performance record in Vietnam
by identifying things we are doing well and areas where we could do
better. We are hoping that other donors will also see the value of this
work and support its broader adoption by other Ministries and provinces.
The development of an effective national system for monitoring and
evaluating aid will have a strong multiplier effect, allowing Vietnam and its
donors to increase aid efficiency and effectiveness. It may even have
wider application to Government of Vietnam domestic programs.
The new project will be implemented through collaboration between the
Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI) and the Australian Agency for
International Development (AusAID). It builds on an initial pilot project
successfully completed by Australia and Vietnam in 2002.
Media enquiries:
Chris Kenny (Ministerial) 0419 206 890
Jo Elsom (AusAID)02 6206 4960 or 0412 804 489
Russell Miles (Australian Embassy Hanoi) +84 4 831 7754 (ext 123)