VNA NA chairman thanks international auditing organisation
National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Van An thanked the International Organisation of Supreme Auditing Institutions (INTOSAI) for its assistance to Vietnam's State Auditing Organisation over recent years. This was while he received INTOSAI General Secretary Fanz Fiedler in Hanoi on October 29. Chairman An also expressed Vietnam's interest in auditing, which has newly developed in the country. He said he hoped that INTOSAI and auditing institutions of other countries would continue to assist and support Vietnam's State Auditing Organisation in information supply, experience exchange, and personnel training. Mr Fiedler said that INTOSAI is interested in the operation of Vietnam's State Auditing Organisation. He agreed with Chairman An's opinions on the ways to assist and promote co-operation with Vietnam. He said that INTOSAI will give more assistance to Vietnam's auditing service in the coming period. (VNA) *** Press, publishing industries are to serve people and nation: Party official Phan Dien, Politburo member of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee (CPV CC), has re-affirmed the main objective of the press and publishing industries is to serve the development of the people and the country, not business. Mr Dien, also permanent member of the CPV CC Secretariat, was speaking at a conference held in Hanoi on October 29 to review four years' implementing Politburo Directive No 22 on press and publishing activities. He asked mass media agencies and publishing houses to reserve wider coverage on good people, good deeds and effective business models, and reflect reality in an objective, vivid and attractive manner so as to better serve the on-going national industrialisation and modernisation. Opening the conference, Nguyen Khoa Diem, Politburo member and head of the Ideology and Culture Commission of the CPV CC, highlighted the outstanding achievements recorded by the media and the publishing service in recent years. The service has helped raise readers' political awareness, effectively disseminated the Party's line, the government's policies, and State's laws, and played a more active role in the national process of renovation, industrialisation and modernisation, Mr Diem noted. He went on to say that a number of media practitioners have enthusiastically encouraged the national emulation movement, joined in the fight against corruption, and helped the Party and the State supplement and amend important policies. He also praised the service for making active contributions to raising people's awareness and preventing cultures introduced into the country from imposing adverse impacts on the population. Mass media organisations and publishing houses throughout the country have successfully applied advanced information technology into their work, the Party ideology and culture chief said. He further noted that managers, reporters and sub-editors working for media agencies and publishing houses have been unceasingly developed in terms of quantity and qualifications so that they are able to adapt themselves to new conditions of the market mechanism. Mr Diem, however, pointed to shortcomings and weaknesses of the service. He said the trend of "commercialisation" has been seen in several media and publishing establishments with more sophisticated and complicated manners than a few years ago. Some papers have failed to operate in conformity with their principles and readership, considering profit as the top priority, the ideology and culture chief noted. In the fight against negative phenomena, a group of reporters and sub-editors violated journalists' ethics and the Press Law, Mr Diem said, adding the implementation of the Party's information disciplines and the Press Law and the development of media and publishing agencies were not strict. (VNA) **** Citynet congress focuses on urban development A delegation of Hanoi, led by Vice Chairman of the city's People's Committee Nguyen Quoc Trieu, attended the fourth Congress of the Network for Management of Urban Population in the World (Citynet) which opened in Bangkok on October 29. The congress was organised by the Bangkok authority and the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP). More than 300 representatives from 30 countries in the Asia-Pacific region attended. The participants included mayors of many cities and representatives of national and non-governmental organisations, city research institutes, and representatives of 27 successful projects on urban management in Asia under the Asian Urban Programme funded by the European Commission (AUPEC). They exchanged experiences in urban management and development and discussed measures to enhance urban management capacity in order to make cities green, clean, beautiful and more harmonious as well as how to help all citizens, wealthy and poor, and take part in the urban development process. They stressed the need for close co-ordination between governments, urban management agencies, mass organisations, and individuals in job generation, the settlement of transport problems, safe water supply, and environment protection. Hanoi has been a member of Citynet since the organisation was established in 1989. Citynet now has 115 member cities in 30 countries. The fifth Citynet Congress will be held in Hanoi in 2005. (VNA) **** Lower Mekong countries co-operate in natural resources management Representatives from four lower Mekong countries - Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam - have discussed ways to co-operate in effectively managing and utilising natural resources for economic development and environmental protection. At a seminar held in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, last weekend, the participants agreed to conduct research on the reciprocal influences between natural resources and the ecosystems in the four countries as well as each country's desire for development. The research aimed at devising a strategy to best exploit and utilise natural resources for economic development in the lower Mekong region. (VNA) **** UK provides aid to environmental projects The British government has provided additional funding of nearly US $79,000 for three important environmental protection projects in Vietnam. The contribution was handed over by Ambassador Warwick Morris in Hanoi last week. The three projects, consisting of two projects implemented by Fauna and Flora International (FFI) and one by Education for Nature-Vietnam (ENV), are part of nine projects worth approximately US $700,000 that are being funded by the British government. The FFI projects focus on generating stakeholder awareness and participation for the conservation of Cat Ba National Park, and community-based conservation initiatives to protect the black and Ha Tinh langurs of the Phong Nha-Ke Bang limestone range in central province of Quang Binh. The ENV is a new local environmental education organisation built upon the experience and success of Vietnam's longest-running community-based environmental education project at Cuc Phuong National Park. These projects aim at raising local people's awareness of the value of protecting the Cat Ba National Park's bio-diversity; helping people understand the value of protecting the two kinds of langur which are among the most endangered in the world; and developing a sustainable approach to environment education and awareness in Vietnam. (VNA) **** Efforts made to overcome flood aftermath People in flood-hit provinces are pooling their efforts to minimise consequences caused by floods, while organisations nationwide continue to send donations to help flood-affected people. Quang Nam province planned to evacuate 1,150 households in areas in danger of landslide to higher ground. To date, 1,050 households in the areas have been evacuated to higher ground. The remaining 100 households are planned to be moved within this year. Vinh Long has invested to upgrade and equip most of its health centres in order to ensure they are not affected during the flood season. The Red Cross of Long An province has conducted many practical activities to help flood victims deal with the flooding. The association disseminated information on food security, measures on water treatment and environmental hygiene for 8,000 locals. It provided free medicine and 500 lifebuoys for people. It also collected 150 tonnes of rice and other necessities worth VND 1.3 billion for affected people. Dong Thap province has so far received VND 6 billion as donations from 164 organisations and individuals at home and abroad. More than 36,000 poor households have been given relief aid. The Ministry of Construction contributed VND 100 million to relief activities in five provinces of An Giang, Kien Giang, Dong Thap, Can Tho and Long An. Delegates to a seminar of the ministry held in Can Tho on October 28 and 29 collected VND 26 million for flood victims. _________________________________________________ KOMINFORM P.O. 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