Resolution 47/NQ-CP 2024 promulgate Program to implement Conclusion 57-KL/TW improvement of quality, efficiency of external information work in new situation

RESOLUTION

Promulgating the Government’s through-2030 Action Program to implement the Political Bureau’s Conclusion No. 57-KL/TW of June 15, 2023, on continued improvement of the quality and efficiency of external information work in the new situation^[1]

THE GOVERNMENT

Pursuant to the June 19, 2015 Law on Organization of the Government; and the November 22, 2019 Law Amending and Supplementing a Number of Articles of the Law on Organization of the Government and the Law on Organization of Local Administration;

Pursuant to the Political Bureau’s Conclusion No. 57-KL/TW of June 15, 2023, on continued improvement of the quality and efficiency of external information work in the new situation;

At the proposal of the Minister of Information and Communications,

RESOLVES:

Article 1. To promulgate the Government’s through-2030 Action Program to implement the Political Bureau’s Conclusion No. 57-KL/TW of June 15, 2023, on continued improvement of the quality and efficiency of external information work in the new situation (below referred to as Conclusion No. 57-KL/TW), specifically as follows:

I. OBJECTIVES AND REQUIREMENTS

1. The Action Program clearly demonstrates the Government’s objectives, tasks and solutions in the new situation, concretizing the guiding viewpoints stated in Conclusion No. 57-KL/TW; serves as a basis for all ministries, ministerial-level agencies, government-attached agencies and provincial-level People’s Committees to formulate their action programs and plans based on their assigned functions and tasks and organize the implementation of such programs and plans in a synchronous and effective manner.

2. To ensure uniformity in the performance of external information work in the new period, regarding external information work as an important part of the political, ideological and external affairs work of the Party and State diplomacy and people-to-people diplomacy; to combine the performance of external information work with strategic objectives and national development tasks set out in the Resolution of the 13^th National Party Congress, focusing on objectives and solutions to contribute to the achievement of the goals through 2025 and 2030, with a vision toward 2045.

The performance of external information work is a political task and the responsibility of heads of ministries, sectors, localities and related agencies.

3. Tasks and solutions of external information work in the new period require new and creative methods. The cyberspace should be considered a new space for performance of external information work, in which science and technology and digital transformation should be applied to innovate the method of performing external information work, thereby creating breakthrough effects.

4. External information work in the coming period should be measurable with more specific results, thus helping raise the national ranking in global prestigious rankings as suitable to Vietnam’s interests in order to consolidate and improve Vietnam’s prestige, profile and image in the world.

5. To enhance the proactivity and coordination in external information work among ministries, departments, sectors and localities, and heighten the role of the state management of external information so as to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of external information work; to ensure a close connection between internal information and external information; and among the Party diplomacy, State diplomacy and people-to-people diplomacy in external information activities.

6. The State shall provide resources for and make focused and targeted investment in, while giving priority to capacity building for full-time and key contingents/forces performing, external information tasks; mobilize social resources in the implementation of external information activities; and ensure that external information activities are carried out in a proactive, oriented, effective and practical manner.

II. GROUPS OF MAJOR TASKS AND SOLUTIONS

To achieve the above objectives, in the coming time, ministries, ministerial-level agencies, government-attached agencies and provincial-level People’s Committees shall concretize, and organize the performance of, the following tasks:

1. Grasping and disseminating information on, and organizing the implementation of, the Resolution

- To study and disseminate the contents of Conclusion No. 57-KL/TW among cadres, civil servants, public employees, workers and people, focusing on a number of new contents below: (i) the viewpoint regarding external information work “as an important part of political, ideological and external affairs work of the Party, State diplomacy and people-to-people diplomacy”, with authorities at all levels, ministries, sectors and localities organizing the performance of external information tasks; (ii) the implementation motto “Proactivity, promptness, synchronicity, creativity and effectiveness”, attaching importance to synchronicity and consistency from the central to local levels in terms of methods, means and platforms used in external information work, and efficiency so as to create breakthroughs; and (iii) considering the cyberspace a new space for performing external information work, and applying science, technology and digital transformation to innovate methods of performing external information work. At the same time, it is required to note 5 groups of target tasks and solutions for achieving the general goals stated in Conclusion No. 57-KL/TW, ensuring interests of the country and the nation on the basis of the Charter of the United Nations and international law.

- To formulate action programs and plans for implementation in order to create synchronicity and unity in awareness and method among authorities at all levels and sectors, and define responsibilities of heads of agencies and organizations and staffs assigned to perform external information work; to regard the provision of external information as an important political task, thereby creating consensus and resources for national development, and mobilize people from all walks of life, overseas Vietnamese and foreigners to take part in external information work.

- To carry out public communication, education and inspiration activities with respect to patriotism, national self-respect and sense of responsibility for cadres and people, particularly young generations and overseas Vietnamese communities, in order to create a driving force for promoting internal strengths for national development.

To attach importance to disseminating information on the system of national values and the system of values of Vietnamese culture and people in the period of development and international integration, thus contributing to increasing “soft power” and concerted strengths of the country; to disseminate to the international community information about achievements of the national renewal process, and Vietnam’s responsibility to join the international community in solving global issues such as non-traditional security issues, environmental issues, climate change, etc., as well as noble ideas of the Vietnamese nation, theories and practices on socialism and the path to socialism in Vietnam, the role of the Party, the superiority of the socialist regime, etc. It is necessary to unanimously be aware that protecting leaders of the Party and the State is also protecting the image and prestige of the country.

2. Promoting the coordination among agencies and organizations in the political system; raising the state management responsibility; improving external information mechanisms and policies

- To formulate and finalize legal documents and legal frameworks in general; to review, amend and supplement regulations on external information and coordination regulations in order to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the state management of external information, thus meeting requirements of external information tasks in the new period.

- To formulate and improve master plans on external information; to attach importance to developing the system of internationally influential and prestigious press and publication units engaged in external information work; to consolidate, and improve the operational efficiency of, the network of Vietnam’s press resident offices in foreign countries and the system of overseas culture and information centers, as well as the system of external e-information facilities at border gates, road, railway and inland waterway international border gates, maritime border gates and air border gates, etc.

- To formulate external information strategies, schemes, programs and plans so as to consolidate and strengthen external relations between Vietnam and foreign countries, particularly key, strategic and target areas; to raise national rankings in such fields as national image and brand; ratings related to economic sectors, freedom of the press, freedom of speech and national development indicators; to intensify digital transformation activities, including the development of digital government, digital economy and digital society for  national development purpose.

- To formulate and improve special mechanisms and policies and lists of public services for the performance of external information tasks with a view to improving the effectiveness of external information.

- To study and improve policies on finance and investment in the field of external information, promoting the mobilization of lawful social resources for external information activities, bringing into full play the role of economic groups, enterprises and organizations at home and abroad to improve the effectiveness of external information, particularly for activities of building and introducing brands and image of the country and localities to foreign countries.

- To intensify close coordination among ministries, sectors and localities in the performance of external information work on the basis of clear division of roles and responsibilities without overlaps, promoting the role of authorities in charge of performing the state management of external information, ensuring that external information activities are carried out in a comprehensive, consistent and effective manner.

- To renovate, and improve the efficiency of, the mechanism for coordination in providing information to the press, particularly for sensitive, complicated and emerging issues, with a view to properly performing policy communication work and not shirking prolonged sensitive issues.

- To conduct surveys for identifying trends of expression of interest and information needs of foreigners and overseas Vietnamese communities; to organize scientific research, and regularly evaluate and forecast the situation with a view to promptly responding to and proposing appropriate and effective measures to perform external information tasks.

- To develop and operate a database on external information for timely integration of information from data systems of ministries, ministerial-level agencies and provincial-level People’s Committees in order to serve the performance of external information tasks.

- To inspect and supervise, and handle violations in, external information activities in order to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the state management of this field, attaching importance to inspecting and supervising the implementation of legal documents, action programs, strategies, master plans, and external information programs and schemes approved by competent authorities; to review and supplement regulations on violations in the field of external information so as to impose strict sanctions, ensuring the performance of tasks in conformity with international standards and in the interests of the country and the nation without affecting the image of Vietnam and external relations between Vietnam and foreign countries.

- To seriously and promptly carry out the emulation and commendation work in order to commend and replicate good practices and recognize contributions of organizations and individuals, particularly overseas Vietnamese communities and international friends that have made important contributions to the communal work, promoting the national image, improving the national profile and prestige, and promoting national socio-economic development.

3. Renewing the mindset, contents, ways and methods of performing external information work

- To create substantial changes in the mindset about external information work in the new period; to get deeply aware of the close relationship between internal information and external information; and between Party diplomacy, State diplomacy and people-to-people diplomacy; to associate external information work with political and socio-economic development tasks of localities and the whole country; to consider the cyberspace a new space for performing external information work.

- To innovate the ways of performing external information work in the direction that its effectiveness can be measured more clearly, regarding this as a basis and foundation for the Government, Prime Minister and competent authorities to consider and approve important schemes and tasks in the field of external information.

- To shift to carrying out public communication to promote Vietnam’s image to the world in the way the world wants to know about Vietnam, based on unified media contents so that Vietnams image is highly identifiable in the world, thereby improving the national image and brand rankings globally; to intensify public communication for promoting Vietnam’s image on digital platforms and social media at home and abroad.

- To apply information technology and digital transformation in external information work so as to change the method of performing external information work; to consider cyberspace an effective environment to bring Vietnam’s image to the world; and at the same time, to select and absorb the world’s quintessence into the country; to regard cyberspace also as an important political arena to protect the socialist regime.

- To develop the National External Information Portal/Website into an effective advertising platform, an official and attractive communication channel for overseas Vietnamese and international friends, that concurrently serves the provision of data to international organizations interested in evaluating and ranking Vietnam’s image and brand.

- It is necessary to consider gradually changing forms of organizing external information activities from in-person to online, with the application of information technology for increasing recipients and volume of information provided to key areas of external information in a more rapid, convenient and effective manner, thereby saving state budget funds.

- To invite resident foreign correspondents in Vietnam and foreign correspondents to practice in Vietnam for strengthening public communication and promotion of the image of localities and the country; to formulate programs on cooperation with foreign press and media agencies in order to exchange news, articles and radio and television programs.

- To provide more and more external information on natural resource management, environmental protection, climate change adaptation and Vietnam’s responsibility to join the international community in solving global challenges to the environment and climate change.

4. Stepping up the fight to refute false and negative information affecting the national image

- To raise the awareness of external information officers in identifying, fighting and refuting conspiracies and tricks of hostile forces, reactionary objects and political opportunists; to prevent malicious, distorted and inflammatory information that is contrary to the Party’s views and guidelines and the State’s policies and laws.

- To master the cyberspace; to build and develop rapid response forces in the cyberspace and international media to fight and refute malicious, false and distorted information that affects Vietnam’s reputation and image, thereby creating awareness and a correct and objective view of the situation in Vietnam.

- To ensure harmonious combination of “building” and “fighting”; to proactively provide timely and official information to domestic and foreign press agencies and digital platforms, focusing on contents on ethnicity, democracy, religion and human rights, in order to contribute to ensuring political security and social order and safety and fighting to refute false information that affects Vietnam’s reputation and image.

- To renew the fight to refute the wrong views of hostile forces in the direction of increasing positive information; to consider formulating a dialogue mechanism to mobilize international organizations that lack goodwill to contribute to improving Vietnam’s credit rating.

- To formulate and improve mechanisms for addressing the provision of inaccurate, untruthful and unverified information, and information that runs counter to Vietnam’s fine customs and culture and affects its image, external relations and interests.

5. Increasing resources and mobilizing social resources for external information work

- The State shall reserve key human and financial resources and physical foundations for external information staffs, giving priority to agencies in charge of external information of ministries, sectors and localities, overseas Vietnamese representative missions, national external press units, overseas permanent offices of Vietnamese press agencies, etc.; bring into the fullest play resources at home and abroad to promote the national image, contributing to promoting the country’s socio-economic development, attaching greater importance to the role of people’s friendship organizations, overseas associations, and reputable and influential people in the society.

- To promote the role of overseas Vietnamese communities, particularly the Vietnamese youth and young intellectuals abroad, in order to mobilize their contributions to national construction, protection and development; to preserve and promote cultural identities and traditions of the Vietnamese nation.

- To arrange and allocate resources in an appropriate and effective manner for full-time agencies directly engaged in external information work and overseas Vietnamese representative missions; overseas Vietnamese cultural centers; and Vietnam’s permanent press offices in foreign countries.

- To build a contingent of full-time officers engaged in external information work who have strong political courage and professional and modern civil service qualities; to study and propose appropriate mechanisms for attracting and preferentially treating cadres and civil servants engaged in external information work, incentives for reporters and editors of press and radio/television agencies engaged in external information work, and regulations on hiring of foreign experts in the field of external information and press in order to promote their contribution to and dedication in external information work.

- To study and pilot the model of national image ambassadors, especially in key, strategic and target areas of external information.

- To regularly organize training and further training in professional skills and knowledge about external information and foreign languages for officers, reporters and editors engaged in external information work; to pay attention to connecting training institutions, and improving the quality of specialized training and further training in external information at training institutions nationwide; to expand international cooperation in exchange, training and further training of officers engaged in external information work.

- Each ministry, sector or locality (except agencies in charge of external information) shall reserve at least 1 full-time working position in charge of external information.

- To build key infrastructure, particularly technological infrastructure, in order to consolidate, and improve the efficiency of, the press system, including the national foreign-service radio and television channels; foreign-service publishing units; external information units at road, sea, railway and air international border gates, inland border gates, and border crossings in border provinces.

- To promote the mobilization of social resources for establishment of cultural and tourism establishments, a network of permanent offices of Vietnamese press agencies in foreign countries, and cultural centers.

- To study and supplement the state budget index for external information work.

III. ORGANIZATION OF IMPLEMENTATION

1. Ministers, heads of ministerial-level agencies and government-attached agencies and chairpersons of provincial-level People’s Committees shall:

a/ Based on their assigned functions, tasks and powers, formulate and promulgate action programs/plans under their management; take the initiative in including funds for task performance in annually allocated budget estimates; for major tasks, submit such budget estimates to competent authorities for consideration and decision.

b/ Focus on directing the drastic, synchronous and creative implementation of this Action Program and action programs/plans of ministries, sectors and localities so that they can achieve breakthrough results in external information; attach importance to renewing the mindset and methods of performing external information work and external information tasks in both real space and cyberspace, associating external information work with socio-economic development tasks of localities and the country, raising their rankings in all fields, thus contributing to raising the national rankings and image with a view bringing about political, external, economic and social values to the country in the coming period.

c/ Intensify the inspection, supervision and evaluation of the effectiveness of the implementation of this Action Program as well as important external information strategies, master plans, schemes and plans; annually or periodically evaluate the situation, and send reports thereon to the Ministry of Information and Communications for synthesis and reporting to the Prime Minister.

In the course of implementing this Action Program, in case it is necessary to modify or add specific tasks in order to properly follow the Party’s and State’s orientations on external information and communication in each period, ministries, sectors and localities shall take the initiative in sending proposals to the Ministry of Information and Communications for synthesis and reporting to the Prime Minister for consideration and decision.

2. The Ministry of Information and Communications shall assume the prime responsibility for guiding, urging and inspecting ministries, ministerial-level agencies, government-attached agencies and provincial-level People’s Committees in the implementation of this Action Program; periodically report and propose to the Government and Prime Minister necessary measures to ensure the synchronous and effective implementation of this Action Program; regularly follow the directions and orientations related to external information and communication to ensure compliance with the Party’s and State’s orientations on external information and communication in each period, and propose to the Government appropriate and effective external information and communication solutions.

The Ministry of Information and Communications shall review, formulate and complete the system of legal documents, mechanisms and policies serving external information work; assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with related agencies in, supervising, and handling violations in, external information work; formulate and appraise schemes, master plans, projects and plans in the field of external information and submit them to the Government for approval; organize the evaluation of the effectiveness of the implementation of external information work and key schemes and projects once every 3 years, 5 years and 10 years; assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with the Party Central Committee’s Commission for Communication and Education and the Steering Committee for External Information Work in, properly performing internal and external information and communication work, creating social consensus, encouraging the contribution of resources by overseas Vietnamese communities and international friends in promoting the image and raising the profile and prestige of Vietnam in the world.

3. To request the Party Central Committee’s Commission for Communication and Education, the Party Central Committee’s Commission for External Relations and the Steering Committee for External Information Work to direct and orient the Party’s external information and people-to-people diplomacy activities; and coordinate with ministries, departments, sectors and localities in the course of performance, inspection and supervision of external information work.

4. To propose the National Assembly to direct and organize the implementation of the Scheme “Orientations for external information work in the 15^th National Assembly tenure and the period toward 2030”; the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front and socio-political organizations shall actively participate and closely coordinate with one another in external information work, thereby promoting the strength of the entire political system.

Article 2. This Resolution takes effect on the date of signing.

Article 3. Ministers, heads of ministerial-level agencies, heads of government-attached agencies, chairpersons of provincial-level People’s Committees, and related organizations and individuals shall implement this Resolution.-

On behalf of the Government
For the Prime Minister
Deputy Prime Minister
TRAN LUU QUANG