Decision No. 368/QD-TTg dated February 28, 2013 of the Prime Minister approving the Government’s action program on external information in 2013 - 2020

THE PRIME MINISTER

Decision No. 368/QD-TTg dated February 28, 2013 of the Prime Minister approving the Government’s action program on external information in 2013 - 2020

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

In furtherance of the Conclusion No. 16-KL/TW of February 14, 2012, of the Politburo of Central Executive Committee of the Party, XI^thtenure, on the external information development strategy in period 2011-2020;

At the proposal of the Minister of Information and Communications,

DECIDES:

Article 1. To approve the Government’s action program on external information in period 2013 - 2020 (hereinafter referred to as the Action Program)

1. Scope, subjects and time of implemen­tation:

- Scope and subjects: This Action Program defines responsibilities of Ministries, Ministerial-level and Government-attached agencies, People’s Committees of provinces and centrally run cities (hereinafter referred to as provincial People’s Committees), socio-­political organizations and press and publishing agencies in the implementation of the external information development strategy in period 2013 - 2020.

- Implementation time: From 2013 to the end of 2020.

2. Objectives

To create fundamental changes in the state management on external information and activities of external information; to ensure the Government’s centralized and unified management and increase coordination in external information task; and push up the image promotion and raising the position of Vietnam in the world.

- To ensure that 100% of Ministries, Ministerial- level and Government-attached agencies, provincial People’s Committees and socio-­political organizations will issue their Action Programs and Annual Plans for the implementation of this Action Program.

- To ensure that by 2015,100% of Ministries, Ministerial-level and Government-attached agencies and provinces and centrally run cities will have officials specialized in external information.

- 100% of leaders and managers at department level or higher level and officials in charge of external information task under Ministries, Ministerial-level and Government- attached agencies, provincial-level services, departments and sectors, socio-political organizations and press and publishing agencies will receive training, equipping in basic knowledge about external information.

- Overseas Vietnamese may access information from Vietnam via methods of external information.

3. Content

a) Promulgating an action program on external information in period 2013- 2020 and annual plans on external information tasks.

b) Arranging officials and consolidating the apparatus implementing external information tasks; investing in building material facilities, means for external information activities.

c) Elaborating and issuing legal documents and policy mechanisms on external information.

d) Elaborating master plans on external information, including master plans on external information press, master plan on the network of overseas representative agencies of Vietnamese press agencies and master plan on overseas Vietnamese culture-information centers....

dd) Training and improving knowledge of external information; and compiling documents serving external information tasks.

e) Organizing international conferences and seminars and events to promote Vietnam’s image.

g) Organizing the advertisement and introduction about images of Vietnamese land, people, potential, strengths and all-faceted achievements to international friends and the overseas Vietnamese community in diversified, plentiful and highly efficient forms. Through the external information activities, promoting investment in trade, tourism and introduction about Vietnam’s products, goods and services abroad.

h) Creating favorable conditions for foreign press agencies and reporters to cover information about Vietnam.

i) Bringing into play the role of overseas Vietnamese representative agencies and overseas Vietnamese in external information activities.

k) Organizing study, survey, assessment and forecast status of serve for external information tasks; struggling and refuting incorrect and hostile arguments.

l) Strengthening the propagation and protection tasks of sovereignty over the sea, islands and border and territory.

m) Periodically examining, evaluating and preliminarily and finally reviewing the implementation of the Action Program.

4. Capital sources for implementation:

Central and local budgets and other social financial sources.

Annually, based on tasks and budget ability and ability of fund mobilization, the Ministry of Finance and localities shall proactively allocate funds for the implementation of the Action Program.

Article 2. Organization of implementation

1. The Steering Committee on External Information Task shall:

Guide and make orientations about activities of this Action Program.

2. The Ministry of Information and Communications shall:

- Build and complete the system of legal documents and policy mechanism for external information tasks.

- Assume the prime responsibility for elaborating master plans on external information to be submitted to the Government for approval.

- Assume the prime responsibility for and coordinate with the Ministry of Finance in studying the establishment and development of the fund supporting the development of external information, creating the assistance sources to implement the sustainable external information tasks in medium and long term, combining state budget funds with other socialized financial sources.

- Summarize annual external information plans of the Ministries, departments and sectors and provincial People’s Committees and the implementation results of these plans for reporting to the Prime Minister.

- Elaborate the Government’s annual plans on external information to be submitted to the Prime Minister for approval and coordinate with the Ministry of Finance in allocating funds for the implementation.

- Guide, urge and examine Ministries, departments and sectors and provincial People’s Committees in carrying out the action program.

- Regularly organize preliminary and final review of the implementation of the action program.

3. The Ministry of Home Affairs shall

Coordinate with the Ministry of Information and Communications in consolidating the personnel apparatus for implementing external information tasks.

4. The Ministry of Finance shall:

Assume the prime responsibility for and coordinate with the Ministry of Information and Communications and the Government Office in allocating annual state budget funds for the implementation of external information activities as prescribed by the Law on State Budget.

5. Ministries, Ministerial-level and Government-attached agencies, provincial- level People’s Committees, socio-political organizations, press and publishing agencies shall, based on the content of the Action Program and the list of category of tasks and the attached external information schemes, elaborate their annual plans on external information and balance their budgets for implementation.

Article 3. Implementation effect

This Decision takes effect on the date of its signing.

Article 4. Implementation responsibilities

Ministers, heads of Ministerial-level and Government-attached agencies, chairpersons of provincial People’s Committees and heads of socio-political organizations shall implement this Decision.

The Prime Minister

Nguyen Tan Dung