MOFA pushes administrative reform, supports NGOs for sustainable development: Workshop in Hanoi
WVR - The workshop was chaired by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Chairman of the Committee for Foreign Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) Ngo Le Van with the participation of nearly 200 domestic delegates and representatives from nearly 100 foreign non-governmental organizations.
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| Deputy Foreign Minister Ngo Le Van delivered the opening speech at the Workshop. (Photo: Thanh Long) |
In his opening remarks, Deputy Foreign Minister Ngo Le Van informed that Vietnam currently maintains relations with approximately 1,200 foreign non-governmental organizations, more than 500 of which operate regularly, supporting around 3,000 programs and projects each year. However, management practices reveal ongoing challenges in information storage, sharing, and administrative procedures.
The Deputy Foreign Minister affirmed that the management and updating of information on foreign non-governmental organizations (NGOs) remain limited, with no centralized database and a lack of digitization. Given the inter-sectoral nature of this work, management agencies require multidimensional information sharing. However, the administrative procedure process remains slow, partly due to the absence of online solutions.
Emphasizing the importance of digital transformation and administrative reform, Deputy Foreign Minister Van noted that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) has proactively allocated resources—through policies, organizational structures, personnel, and budgeting—to develop databases and online public services, including those related to foreign NGOs operating in Vietnam.
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| The workshop was attended by nearly 100 foreign non-governmental organizations operating in Vietnam. (Photo: Thanh Long) |
With the action motto "Building economic diplomacy to serve development, putting people, localities, and businesses at the center," and under the direction of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs regularly reviews and advises the Government on improving the legal framework. The Ministry also works to further simplify administrative procedures, promote coordination and information-sharing mechanisms among ministries, sectors, localities, and foreign non-governmental organizations (NGOs), actively advance digital transformation, and develop databases and related public services in the digital environment.
The Ministry’s priority is to enhance transparency and service quality, reduce time and costs, and strengthen state management of foreign NGO activities. These efforts are aligned with the National Digital Transformation Program to 2025, with a vision to 2030, approved by the Prime Minister.
This workshop, organized for the first time by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, aims to comprehensively assess the reform of administrative procedures related to foreign non-governmental activities at the central and local levels, as well as within international organizations.
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| Director General of the Department of External Affairs and Cultural Diplomacy Le Thi Hong Van speaks at the workshop. (Photo: Thanh Long) |
As the state management agency in this field, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs presented the progress made in building databases and online public services, while also listening to feedback from relevant stakeholders. Based on these discussions, the Ministry proposed solutions to enhance the effectiveness of management and support for foreign non-governmental activities in the future.
Deputy Foreign Minister Ngo Le Van acknowledged the valuable contributions of foreign NGOs in supporting development and humanitarian efforts in Vietnam. At the same time, he emphasized the importance of legal compliance and close coordination with relevant authorities and localities in the implementation of their activities.
At the workshop, alongside the report delivered by the Department of External Affairs and Cultural Diplomacy under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, delegates from central agencies and foreign NGOs engaged in candid discussions. They addressed the need for digital transformation, evaluated the administrative procedure handling process, identified challenges and obstacles, and proposed concrete recommendations to improve the quality of administrative reform.
Concluding the workshop, representatives from ministries, sectors, localities, and foreign NGOs expressed confidence that the development of databases and online public services would significantly enhance the efficiency of registration and management of foreign non-governmental activities in Vietnam.
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