International NGOs and the Vietnam Development Partnership Forum
The Vietnam Development Partnership Forum -- formerly known as the Consultative Group (CG) meeting is a platform for discussion between Government and donor agencies on development policies and donor pledges. The first Vietnamese CG meeting was held in Paris in 1993 and since 1999 it has been held in Vietnam, co-chaired by the Ministry of Planning and Investment and the World Bank in Vietnam. Two meetings were held each year: an informal meeting in June, usually held outside Hanoi in order to combine it with a field visit, and a formal meeting during December held in Hanoi.
At the last CG meeting in December 2012 participants agreed on the evolution of the CG into the Vietnam Development Partnership Forum (VDPF), with the aim of supporting dialogue on areas of mutual interest in order to promote broad-based socio-economic development and improved well-being for all Vietnamese.
The previous CG format, designed 20 years ago, served primarily as a platform for mobilising Official Development Assistance (ODA) resources. This function of the CG is no longer relevant since most development partners have their own bilateral ODA discussions. What is needed is a platform for dialogue between the Government and partners in Vietnam’s development. The new forum will be an annual event aimed at high-level policy dialogue as well as a process to support ongoing dialogue to build consensus and generate commitments among stakeholders toward the Government’s development and reform priorities.
Four representatives of international NGOs (INGOs) are invited to the meeting; they are invited as observers and share one seat at the meeting table. They usually divide the meeting sessions between them, and, as with other participants, have the opportunity to make one comment during each session.
A joint statement by INGOs is published for each formal December meeting, prepared by the four INGO representatives and the VUFO-NGO Resource Centre after consultation with the member INGOs of the centre, and made available in English and Vietnamese to all meeting participants. Recent statements are:
INGO Statement for CG Meeting 2010 English Vietnamese
INGO Statement for CG Meeting 2009 English Vietnamese
INGO Statement for CG Meeting 2008 English
INGO Statement for CG Meeting 2007 English
INGO Statement for CG Meeting 2006 English
INGO Statement for CG Meeting 2005 English Vietnamese
In addition an annual report on the activities of the working groups hosted by the Resource Centre, International NGO Partnerships for Development, also in English and Vietnamese, is made available at the Development Partnership Forum meeting.
The four INGO representatives to the Development Partnership Forum meeting are elected, for a term of two years, by member organisations of the VUFO-NGO Resource Centre at one of the centre's INGO Forums. As of April 2013 the representatives are:
- Kim N. B. Ninh, Country Representative, The Asia Foundation
- Thao Griffiths, Country Director, Vietnam Veterens of America Foundation
- Dung Le Kim, Associate Country Director, Oxfam Great Britain
- Thao Hoang Phuong, Country Director, ActionAid International in Vietnam
The Managing Co-Director of the VUFO-NGO Resource Centre, Marko Lovrekovic, also participates in the Development Partnership Forum meetings.
Further information
World Bank media release regarding mid-year Consultative Group meeting 2009