Workshop looks at role of NGOs in economic growth

A workshop was held in Hanoi on December 9 to discuss the role of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in the development of Vietnam and Germany.

Erwin Schweisshelm, Head of the German Friedrich Ebert Stiftung office in Vietnam speaks at the workshop.

Vice Chairman of the Vietnam-Germany Friendship Association Phan Thanh Tinh said the two nations’ strategic partnership has facilitated cooperation between their mass organisations and NGOs.

Currently, 30 German NGOs are operating in Vietnam, while numerous Vietnamese mass organisations and NGO have established ties with German partners.

Erwin Schweisshelm, head of the German Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES) office in Vietnam, acknowledged the conference as a bridge connecting Vietnamese NGOs and mass organisations and their German counterparts, including the ties between the VGFA and the FES.

Speakers at the event included experts from Viethealth, an NGO under the Union of Scientific and Technological Associations, the Berlin University and the FES in Vietnam.

The workshop was co-organised by the Vietnam-Germany Friendship Association and the FES - a private German non-profit organisation.

Source: Hanoi Times

Migrant workers to receive services

Migrant workers see photos about their life and livelihood in cities. Six local non-governmental organizations set up a network to help migrant workers better receive social welfare. — VNS Photo Bich Huong

Six Vietnamese non-governmental organisations set up a network for migrant workers called M.net, which aims to help migrant workers receive better social welfare services and voice their opinions on political issues.

M.net was officially introduced yesterday in Ha Noi. The six founding members are the Institute for Community and Health Development (LIGHT); the Centre for Development and Integration; the Research Centre for Gender-Family and Community Development; the Institute for Policy Studies, Law and Development; the Viet Nam Judicial Support Association for the Poor; and the Center for Social Work Community Development Research and Consultancy.

According to the General Statistics Office, in the last decade, migration from rural areas to urban areas increased, from two million migrants in 1999 to 3.4 million in 2009. The increase is expected to continue to 5 million in 2019, accounting for five per cent of the country's population.

LIGHT Vice Director Nguyen Thu Giang said about 90 per cent of migrant workers in the informal sector hardly receive social welfare benefits such as healthcare, education, housing and clean water.

M.net wanted to find barriers that stopped migrant workers from receiving such benefits, help them access public services and connect them with policymakers in their host localities, she said.

Senior Programme Co-ordinator on Governance Nguyen Thu Huong of Oxfam in Viet Nam, which supported the network's establishment, said it was introduced at the right time. Migrant workers contributed to urban development but weren't able to access any sort of Government safety net.

Tran Thi Khanh, 43, a scrap-iron dealer from the northern province of Hung Yen, said she and her family moved to Ha Noi 10 years ago, rented a room and sent their children to private school.

"I have to send my children to private schools with tuition fees much higher than that in public schools, because we have no residential registration book in Ha Noi, so my children cannot attend public schools," she said.

Another migrant, Ta Thi Ngot, 64, said migrant workers like her did not get health insurance cards.

She said she wanted to get health insurance and needed help applying for a card.

Yesterday M.net opened an exhibition displaying photos taken by street vendors and scrap-iron dealers in Ha Noi. It was part of a project LIGHT ran from July 2014 to December 2016 to support street vendors and scrap-iron dealers in Ha Noi's Hoan Kiem and Nam Tu Liem districts.

Source: VNS

Public participation in law making on the rise

Nguyen Si Dung, Vice-Chairman of the Office of the National Assembly acknowledged the contribution PARAFF made in enabling Vietnamese non-governmental organisations and the public at large to constructively engage in law – and policy development. — Photo thoibaotaichinhvietnam.vn

People around the country have paid more attention to their rights in engaging in law making and policy development as well as monitoring the process.

In the meantime, Vietnamese non-governmental organisations and policy-makers were offered chances to meet and develop a mutual understanding, and learn from each other via policy dialogues.
These are the results of a three-year programme called the Public Participation and Accountability Facilitation Fund (PARAFF), which wrapped up yesterday, backed by the Government of Denmark in accordance with the Viet Nam National Assembly's Office.

The programme was kicked off in 2012 while policy dialogue was still not so common for Vietnamese NGOs and policy makers, and people were not aware of their rights to participate and voice their opinion in the compilation of laws and policies.

It was estimated that 48 NGOs and people living in 30 provinces and cites contributed ideas in the compilation of 25 laws and policies for three years.

The laws can be named as law on civil code, law on population, law on environment protection, law on housing, and law on the organisation of local Government.

Speaking at the closing ceremony of the programme, Nguyen Si Dung, Vice-Chairman of the Office of the National Assembly acknowledged the contribution PARAFF made in enabling Vietnamese non-governmental organisations and the public at large to constructively engage in law – and policy development.

And the NGOs played an important role in bringing the voice of the people to law – and policy-makers at all levels, he said.

Therefore, elected bodies had more arguments and information before deciding on the policies and oversight of the Government and People's Committees, he said.

Danish Ambassador Charlotte Laursen expressed her satisfaction with PARAFF achievements in enhancing the capacity and confidence of Vietnamese NGOs and citizens to actively contribute in the processes.

She hoped that the organisations benefited from the PARAFF support would share their experiences with other organisations and continue pursuing the process of "making voices heard".

Source: VNS

List of non-governmental organizations in Vietnam

A directory on Wikipedia. However, it contains mostly international NGOs actually.

Link here >>