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ON-GOING ACTIVITIES
Research on commune
budgeting – situation review and some prepositions
Funding agency: The World Bank in Vietnam
Duration: 9/2002 – 3/2003
The commune is a local level of administration having its own
administrative border, essential infrastructure and rather independent
public works. The political and socio-economic activities in a small scale
society such as a commune are diverse and complicated. At the same time
the commune government's activities relate to and directly influence its
people: from ensuring the observance of the Party's and the State's
guidelines for people, to obtaining and expressing the people's
aspirations to the Party's and the State's superior agencies.
According to the Law on State Budget, the commune budget is one of four
levels of the State Budget. Until recently, the commune budget was not a
clearly defined part of the State Budget and expenses were paid on the
basis of the revenue index for the locality, partial support from the
superior budget and an unbalanced revenue-expenditure calculation. Through
a review of commune budgets, we recognized that budgeting activities for
communes are still ineffective and lack transparent. Transparence and
effectiveness of budgeting activities are interrelated so closely that it
is almost impossible for one to exist without the other. The importance of
a transparent budgeting system is further highlighted by the introduction
of the Decree No 29 on Democracy at the Grassroots Level.
Realizing the importance of improving transparency and effectiveness of
the commune budgeting, Ministry of Finance and the World Bank in Vietnam
is supporting LERES to carry out this research:
Methodology:
Specialist (multidisciplinary & international) team approach to the
commune budgeting on 3 main aspects:
Legal issues: Studying actual regulations concerning budgeting
activities such as the Law on National budget, decrees guiding
implementation of the regulations promulgated by MOF and National
treasury, regulations on making budgeting activities at communes
transparent and the others legal documents in this field... in order to
propose some solutions and suggestions to correct the presently
unsatisfactory situation.
Institutional issues: Monitoring and evaluating actual budgeting
activities in communes, evaluating also the collaboration. Coordination
between people’s committee (PC) and National treasury, People’s
committees at superior levels, People’s Councils at the same level....
and between the agencies of PC;
Human resources: Evaluating capacity the people working in the field of
commune finance and budgeting. The study will indentify the principal
causes of ineffectiveness amongst these people, and suggest what type of
education should be undertaken and other related legal and institutional
questions.
Based on analysys, comparison (with experiences of other transitional or
developing countries), surveys, evaluation and information gathered at
some typical communes throughout the country, a report will be prepared
and submitted to the Budget Department of Ministry of Finance for review
and considering of pilot application, and further development to be
introduced into the State policy.
This research is scheduled to implemented in 6 months form September of
2002 to April of 2003.
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Enhancing democracy at
the grassroots level by building-up skills and knowledge capacity of the
People’s representatives in Communes.
Duration: 5/2002 – 5/2003
Location: Thai Nguyen, Nghe An, Hoa Binh, Ninh Binh.
People’s council in general and commune People’s Council in particular
plays a very important role in the state machinery the Socialist Republic
of Vietnam. It is the local organ of State power; it represents the will,
aspirations, and mastery of the people. That requires People’s council
deputy should be qualified in both working capacity and morality. In the
context of socio-economic development in Vietnam, these requirements are
increasing, especially with regards to trend of extending democracy (in
both direct and indirect forms) initiated by the Party and the State of
Vietnam. However, in reality, capacity of people’s council deputies
somehow does not meet such requirements. These constraints derived from
the fact that, they are not trained properly, lack of knowledge of law,
policies and are not equipped with necessary working skills. Therefore, by
providing training, materials and manuals on basic knowledge of law,
working skills, etc., the project aims at improving working skills of
people’s council deputies in realizing democracy at grassroots level.
Within framework of this project, 720 communal deputies of four districts
Hoax Bin, Ninh Binh, Nghe An and Thai Nguyen province will benefited from
training and other 2000 deputies will receive the Operational manual for
Commune people’s council deputies.
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Law and gender forum for
local women
Duration: 6/2002 – 5/2003
Location: Dong Quang commune and Quoc Oai township, Quoc Oai district, Ha
Tay.
Project objectives:
To enhance democracy and gender equity at locality by equipping women with
knowledge of their rights and role in the society. This enables women to
take an active role in decision-making processes and management of
society.
By providing women with basic legal information relevant to their rights
and duties, women shall be more aware of their rights and duties in order
to protect themselves and fulfill their obligations towards State and
society.
Build up an operation model for law and gender, which is easily
participated, cost effective and efficient.
Within this project, LERES organized 02 training courses on basic legal
topics, dispute resolutions skills, law on marriage and family, criminal
law and criminal procedures, gender issues, etc. for cadre of women unions
of Dong Quang commune and Quoc Oai township. The training course aims at
providing them with necessary skills and knowledge to become law and
gender activists. These activists will directly participate in organizing
fora with different topics at each single village with LERES. Moreover,
the project also help to building up a legal bookshelf, provide training
on managing this bookshelf as well as setting up a legal mailbox.
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Working with women Union
of Ha Tay and Quang Ninh provinces to promote grassroots democracy and
good governance in the provinces
Duration: 11/2002 – 10/2003
Location: Quang Ninh vµ Ha Tay
As The model of activities, LERES is considered to be an successful
organization. So, Leres intends to extend it's good practices in promoting
grassroot democracy, good governance to provinces. This is the main
objective of this project for LERES to develop cooperation with women
Union of Ha Tay and Quang Ninh provinces.
Capacity building for the core personnel of women union of in Ha Tay and
Quang Ninh provinces in promoting grassroot democracy, good governance.
Support the materials capacity in the areas of law, governance for the
operation of Women Union of Ha Tay and Quang Ninh in the future: training
materials; enhance ability of women’s union personnel to deliver legal aid
and training programs for ordinary people on the law, people’s rights and
democracy.
Activities of project are classified into three main groups:
Group 1: Include conducting survey to identify problems, issues and areas
that need to be dealt with, identify core personnel for the establishment
and operation of the two new NGOs and create favorable conditions for this
people to practice via legal training courses for communal people’s
council deputies, women’s union officers and heads of villages.
Group 2 & 3: Production of training materials, legal information
pamphlets; organization of mobile/roving legal aid clinic with the
participation of the core personnel identified in the activities of group
1. Developing cooperation relationship between LERES and Women Union of Ha
Tay and Quang Ninh provinces.
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Enhancing meaningful
participation in decision making in Ha Tinh and Thai Nguyen province
Duration: 10/2002 – 9/2004
Location: Vo Nhai (Thai Nguyen) vµ Ky Anh (Ha Tinh)
The project carries out activities such as legal and skills training,
coaching for local officials, heads of villages, social and community
based organization; production and distribution of pamphlets, manuals to
enhance people’s knowledge to achieve following objectives:
Set up practice that enable the poor and marginalized men and women in
society to be more involved in the conduct of government and local
decision making process;
Strengthen the capacity of government officials to involve the poor and
marginalized in decision making and to make decisions in a participatory
(democratic) way;
Enhance capacity of poor and marginalized to participate in a meaningful
way;
Improve capacity of LERES staff to participate in policy dialogue at
different levels and influence government and donor decision making
processes in order to have the voice of poor men and women heard
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