The initial success of the One-United Nations (UN) Initiative in Vietnam has emboldened the UN to select Vietnam as its first member country to involve in the common action plan to carry out its reforms programme.

The action plan to run from now until 2010 was signed between the Vietnamese Government and the UN in Hanoi, on August 23, is an important landmark in UN reforms in Vietnam and an important pillar of the One-UN Initiative.

Vietnam always supports the UN reform and is one of the eight countries volunteering to test UN reform at the country level.

In February 2006, UN agencies in Vietnam devised a proposed merging strategy and shared its merging itinerary with Vietnamese agencies and development partners. Later, the “agreed principles, objectives and instruments” were compiled to draw up the One UN in Vietnam which aims to assist the national development process for the benefit of the Vietnamese public.

The One-UN Initiative in Vietnam is comprised of five key areas: One Leader, One Plan, One Budget, One set of Management Practices and One UN House.

The Five Ones supplement and assist one another and are carried out together in order to help enhance the capacity of the UN in putting forward strategic decisions, said John Hendra, the UN Resident Co-ordinator in Vietnam.

To date, there are around 20 UN agencies and programmes operating in the country. Under the common action plan between Vietnam and the UN, six UN bodies operating within the framework of the coherence programme include the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), the Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), the UN Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), and United Nations Volunteers (UNV). All UN bodies are expected to join the framework by early 2008.

The UN reform in Vietnam needs three-party efforts of the Vietnamese Government, the UN and the donor community. The reform has so far gained considerable progress thanks to the Vietnamese Government’s steady leadership, said the UN official.

The implementation of the One-UN Initiative in Vietnam has also received strong support from the international community. In August 2007, the UK decided to provide financial support of 4 million British pounds (over US $8 million) to aid the first 18 months of the One-UN Initiative in the country.

UK Minister for International Development Shahid Malik said that if the UN reform in Vietnam successful, it would not only help improve the relationship between Vietnam and the UN but also assist reforms of the body itself.

During his visit to Vietnam last August, Shahid Malik expressed his hope that the UN reform in Vietnam would be successful and become a model for other countries to follow. (VNA)