RALG Project: Enhancing interaction between government and people

Steering Committee meeting of the “Responsible and Accountable Local Governance Support Project” (RALG) in Nghe An and Ha Tinh. Photo: Thanh Le

Strengthening capacity for local government

The RALG project implemented in Nghe An focuses on two strategic areas: increasing people's feedback and participation in policy making and state management at all levels, and strengthening the capacity of local authorities at all levels to access, analyze and use feedback from people.

Enhancing citizen participation is seen as a means to enhance transparency, accountability and meet the needs of local government, improve services and increase citizen satisfaction.

Over the 1-year implementation period, the RALG Project has made efforts in designing and implementing appropriate communication methods to enhance understanding and dialogue between people and authorities at all levels. Innovative measures and initiatives have been taken to adapt information disseminated to ethnic minority communities; priority issues in communication that people are interested in such as land use planning, budget transparency, citizens' rights in drafting legal documents, etc.

Administrative reform training for commune-level office staff. Photo: Thanh Le

The project provides leaflets and websites to disseminate relevant information and implement online public administrative service delivery on the electronic portal in a more citizen-friendly manner.

In addition, the project implements capacity building activities for People's Councils and mass organizations, supporting the improvement of dialogue between the government and the people. Organizing for union members at district and commune levels to participate in workshops on youth work, building grassroots government, assessment, feedback and information collection.

This activity not only helps union members increase their knowledge but also equips them with the necessary skills in supporting the community. Members of the People's Inspection Committee and the Community Investment Supervision Committee from 29 communes and wards were trained in the supervision function. Through the above activities, it has contributed to promoting the capacity of the People's Council and organizations and unions in supporting two-way dialogue between the people and the government.

The RALG project supports the Department of Information and Communications to organize a training program for press spokespeople for departments, branches, districts, cities and towns. Photo: Thanh Le

In addition, the project also organizes study tours to learn about experiences and good practices in collecting, analyzing and using people's feedback, the monitoring functions of the People's Inspectorate and the Community Investment Monitoring Board.

With the knowledge and experience they have been equipped with, the People's Council and organizations and unions will maximize their roles and functions in promoting two-way dialogue between the people and the government.

In addition, the project has supported the development of a communication strategy to make information more understandable and accessible to the public. It has coordinated with the Department of Information and Communications, the Department of Justice and the Ethnic Minorities Committee to develop communication products.

Specifically, these include: 1,500 handbooks for spokespersons and information providers, 73,400 leaflets on people's rights to participate in public opinion, 59,000 leaflets on civil registration rights and obligations; and 4,000 handbooks on preventing and combating child marriage and incestuous marriage.

“We look forward to positive changes in the areas supported by the project as well as close and effective cooperation with the authorities at all levels in Nghe An during the implementation process. This will contribute to further strengthening the friendly relations between Belgium and Vietnam.”

Ms. Roccas - Ambassador of the Kingdom of Belgium to Vietnam

Support administrative reform work

One of the important contents implemented by the project is to aim at planning, coordinating and monitoring administrative reform (PAR) effectively. The project has also provided training courses to officers at one-stop shops and will support one-stop shops at commune and district levels with information technology (IT) equipment necessary for daily operations.

This activity contributes to creating an effective and accessible hub for administrative services, promoting the provision of online public services at the commune and district levels, saving time and budget for performing public administrative procedures.

At the same time, the project has made efforts to strengthen the professional and organizational capacity of departments, branches and sectors in collecting, analyzing and using people's feedback related to public administration reform and local governance.

In parallel, the project focused on building an online system to collect feedback from people and organizations on public service provision at administrative agencies.

Officials of Nghia Trung commune (Nghia Dan) handle administrative procedures for people through the One-Stop Department. Photo: Thanh Le

“Through the activities supported by the RALG Project, administrative agencies will also have a more comprehensive view of the satisfaction level of people and organizations with their public services, and thereby, can find solutions to improve the quality of public service provision, increase responsibility, improve and enhance the attitude and style of officials towards people and other organizations,” said Pham Van Luong, Head of the Department of Home Affairs' Administrative Reform Department.

In addition, the RALG Project coordinated with the People's Committee of Nghe An province and the Institute for Policy Research and Media Development (IPS) to organize a dialogue workshop between competent officials, local businesses and experts, providing deeper insights into the current situation and challenges in the field of administrative procedures and public services, contributing to improving and promoting the investment and business environment in Nghe An province.

Officials of Tao Son commune (Anh Son) receive citizens. Photo: Thanh Le

Director of the Center for Enterprise Support, Department of Planning and Investment Hoang Vinh Truong - Deputy Director of the RALG Nghe An Project Management Board assessed: "With the initial results supported by the project, it will be the basis for certain improvements to the PCI (provincial competitiveness) and PAPI (provincial governance and public administration performance) index in particular, the interaction between the government and the people in general, leading to more effective local government operations, as well as providing better public services, aiming to improve public services and increase people's satisfaction in the coming time in localities".

The RALG project was implemented from October 20, 2017 to June 30, 2019. The project was implemented in two districts: Quy Chau, Quy Hop and Cua Lo town, including 12 selected communes in Quy Chau district, 10 communes in Quy Hop and 7 wards in Cua Lo town. The project was funded by the Kingdom of Belgium with 1,000,000 EUR and Vietnam's counterpart fund of 1,500 EUR. The entire RALG Nghe An project has 55 activities, including 40 at the provincial and district levels and 15 at the commune level.