Decision No. 20/2004/QD-TTg dated February 18, 2004 of the Prime Minister on the establishment of the coordinating organization for development of key economic regions

DECISION

ON THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE COORDINATING ORGANIZATION FOR DEVELOPMENT OF KEY ECONOMIC REGIONS

THE PRIME MINISTER

Pursuant to the December 25, 2001 Law on Organization of the Government;

At the proposal of the Minister of Planning and Investment,

DECIDES:

Article 1.- To set up the Coordinating Organization for development of key economic regions at the central level for coordination of development activities among branches, localities with a view to creating unity in directing and organizing the implementation and synchronism in investment in order to achieve high efficiency in socio-economic development of key economic regions.

The Coordinating Organization is not a management level; does not issue administrative decisions and is tasked to assist the Prime Minister in coordinating ministries, branches and localities in the key economic regions in order to efficiently develop key economic regions of our country.

Article 2.- The structure and apparatus of the Coordinating Organization for development of key economic regions

The apparatus of the Coordinating Organization for development of key economic regions is structured to comprise: The Steering Board for coordination in development of key economic regions and the Coordination Teams of the ministries, branches and localities in the key economic regions.

Article 3.- Tasks, powers and composition of the Steering Board for coordination in development of key economic regions (called the Steering Board for short)

1. Tasks and powers of the Steering Board:

a) To direct coordination in implementation strictly according to socio-economic, branch, regional development plannings, in the immediate future revise the plannings to suit reality and development requirements. To direct the implementation of matters of regional significance such as investment in infrastructural construction, environment, human resource development, external affairs, regional alignment.

b) To propose the Government to promulgate mechanisms and policies to remove difficulties for socio-economic development of key economic regions.

c) To draw up development coordination programs of the ministries, provinces and centrally-run cities in key economic regions.

d) To propose solutions to boosting development coordination among the ministries, branches, provinces and centrally-run cities in key economic regions.

e) To monitor, urge and settle coordinating matters falling under the competence of the ministries, branches and localities being members of the Steering Board in the course of development coordination.

f) To organize the coordination between key economic regions and other regions.

g) To make biannual and annual sum-up reports on the situation of development and coordination in development of key economic regions to the Prime Minister.

2. Composition of the Steering Board:

a) The head: a deputy-prime minister in charge of general direction and administration.

b) The standing deputy-head: The Minister of Planning and Investment.

The standing deputy-head has the tasks:

- To assist the head in preparing programs and contents of activities of the Steering Board, preside over the briefings of the specialists’ teams of the ministries, branches of the Steering Board.

- To preside over meetings, briefing conferences on behalf of the head of the Board when authorized by him/her.

- To preside over, on behalf of the Board’ head, working sessions with ministries, branches and/or localities in key economic regions to settle specific matters related to organization of development coordination in key economic regions.

- To sign general administration documents of the Steering Board, reports to be submitted to the Prime Minister and the head of the Steering Board for settlement of matters under his/her competence.

- To perform other tasks assigned by the Board’s head.

c) Members being vice-ministers or the equivalent posts of the ministries and ministerial-level agencies, including the Ministry of Construction, the Ministry of Communications and Transport, the Ministry of Post and Telematics, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, the Ministry of Trade, the Ministry of Industry, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Education and Training, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Ministry of Culture and Information, the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs, Vietnam State Bank, the Government Office; the deputy-general directors of Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, Vietnam Civil Aviation Administration, Vietnam Maritime Administration; vice-presidents of the People’s Committees of the provinces and centrally-run cities in key economic regions.

The Steering Board’s members have the tasks:

- To participate in general administration under the Steering Board’s programs.

- To represent their ministries, branches or localities in the Steering Board.

- To organize the realization of development coordination programs of the ministries and localities in the key economic regions, which have been already adopted by the Steering Board.

- To propose mechanisms and policies to remove difficulties related to their respective branches or localities so as to create conditions for development of key economic regions.

- To make periodical (biannual, annual) and unexpected reports on development situation and development coordination of their respective branches or localities with other branches and/or localities in key economic regions.

- To propose opinions of ministries, branches and localities on matters related to development and coordination of development in key economic regions.

- To fully participate in meetings and common activities of the Steering Board. In case of work transfer, to report thereon and recommend substitutes to the head of the Steering Board.

Article 4.- Setting up the section assisting the Steering Board

The head of the Steering Board shall decide to set up a section assisting the Steering Board and issue Regulation on operation of the section assisting the Steering Board on the principle: Setting up the Steering Board’s Office consisting of the director of the Office, 01 deputy-director of the Office and a number of full-time key economic region-monitoring officials on the payroll of the Development Strategy Institute of the Ministry of Planning and Investment. The Steering Board’s Office is located at the Ministry of Planning and Investment.

Article 5.- Tasks, powers and composition of the Coordination Teams of the ministries, branches or localities in key economic regions (called Coordination Teams for short).

1. Tasks and powers of the Coordination Teams (the list in Article 3, Clause 2, Item c):

a) To be organizations assisting the ministries, branches or localities in performing the task of coordination between the Steering Board and the ministries, branches as well as localities.

b) To ensure close coordination among ministries, branches and localities in formulation and organization of implementation of plannings; to make reports on matters related to the plannings, plans and development situation of branches and localities for submission to the Steering Board, and send them to the Steering Board’s Office (excluding matters classified as State secrets).

c) To detect difficulties and obstacles in development and development coordination of their respective branches or localities and the remedial solutions.

d) To supply information related to undertakings on branch development, impacts of mechanisms and policies, which are currently being in force, on branches and/or localities.

e) On the basis of mechanism for administration and mechanism for coordination, the ministries, branches and localities shall draw up plans for materialization of the Steering Board’s conclusions.

2. Organization of Coordination Teams:

a) Each ministry, each branch or locality in key economic regions has one coordination team to assist the minister or the president of the provincial/municipal People’s Committee in the performance of coordination tasks within the scope of its functions.

b) A Coordination Team is headed by a vice-minister or a vice-president of the provincial/municipal People’s Committee and composed of a number of members having professional capabilities and working experiences. The number of members of a Coordination Team shall be decided by its head on the basis of the work load of each ministry, branch or locality.

Article 6.- Coordination contents and regulations

1. The coordination contents:

a) Organizing meetings, get-togethers to discuss or brief on development results and development coordination in key economic regions:

- Holding regional briefings once a quarter, alternately in provinces.

- Annually holding review and evaluation of socio-economic development coordination among localities in the region so as to work out appropriate solutions, raise the efficiency of coordination and cooperation in the subsequent year.

b) The coordination contents:

The localities and branches shall base themselves on the coordination programs of the Steering Board to draw up specific action programs of the ministries, branches or localities along the following major coordination directions:

- Coordinating in the use of natural resources, chiefly water resources.

- Coordinating in infrastructural construction, chiefly in the construction of lifeline communica-tions lines, seaports and urban development.

- Coordinating in employment of labor for industrial parks.

- Coordinating in the promulgation of mechanisms and policies, chiefly policies on ground clearance compensations, policies to attract investment capital, etc.

- Coordinating in propagating for and attracting foreign investment.

- Coordinating in exhibitions, fairs and export.

- Coordinating in training of human resource, chiefly the training of human resource of high quality, including hi-tech workers.

- Coordinating in disease prevention, medical examination and treatment.

2. The coordination regulations:

a) Coordinating under action programs already approved by the head of the Steering Board.

The standing deputy-head of the Steering Board directly administers the coordination via the Office of the Steering Board.

The members of the Steering Board bear specific responsibilities for the coordination contents and performance of the coordination tasks as assigned by the Board’s head.

b) The coordination contents, the coordination modes and coordination responsibilities shall be discussed and agreed upon at regional briefing conferences.

c) Each member of the Steering Board, each ministry, each branch or each locality shall have to ensure the coordination between his/her ministry, branch or locality with other ministries, branches and/or localities under the direction of the head of the Steering Board.

d) If in the course of coordination any problems arise or any issues which cannot be agreed upon among the coordinating parties, the Steering Board’s Office shall have to synthesize and report them to the standing deputy-head of the Steering Board in order to ask for the head’s opinions and, if necessary, to the Prime Minister.

Article 7.- Operation funding

1. The funding for the operation of the Steering Board and its Office shall be included in the annual budget estimates of the Ministry of Planning and Investment, be managed and settled according to the provisions of the State Budget Law.

2. The operation funding shall be allocated to the Steering Board’s Office which is allowed to use the accounts and accountancy apparatus of the Ministry of Planning and Investment.

3. The operation funding of the Coordination Teams of the ministries, branches or localities shall be allocated from the budgets of the ministries, branches or localities.

Article 8.- This Decision takes effect 15 days after its publication in the Official Gazette.

Article 9.- Implementation organization

The ministers, the heads of the ministerial-level organizations, the heads of the Government-attached agencies, the presidents of the People’s Committees of the provinces and centrally-run cities in the key economic regions shall have to create favorable conditions for the coordination organizations for development of key economic regions to operate efficiently and have to implement this Decision.