ODA project owners charged with post-implementation management and exploit
VNGOVNet – The Government has issued Decree 131/2006/NĐ-CP on the statutes of managing and using Official Development Assistance (ODA) funding to replace Decree 17/2001/NĐ-CP delivered in 2001.
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Cần Thơ bridget - an ODA-funded project |
Under the new document, the Government will excercise overall State management over ODA, and set out strategies and policies to attract, manage and use ODA. The Government will delegate and empower concerned organs of different levels, agences in charge of this area, provincial authorities and implementing units to manage, inspect, and monitor the use of ODA and encourage them to take initiatives.
The Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI) is a focal point in attracting, distributing and managing ODA, and drafting document on ODA management and use. Together with the Ministry of Finance, the MPI will draw up plans to disburse and allocate ODA funding to projects.
What differentiates Decree 131 from Decree 17 is that the ODA project owner will be responsible for management and exploit of the project after its implementation is finished. They are also in charge of managing and using ODA capital to implement the projects in the way as approved by competent agencies. This means that ministries and local authorities with ODA projects will only function as governing bodies doing State management over them, not their investors.
The project owner will decide the establishment of a project management unit (PMU) and can hire consultants to manage the project in line with the regulations of law. The MPI is tasked with issuing guidelines on the structure, organization, functions and duties of the PMUs.
By Xuân Hồng
(Source: Decree 131/2006/NĐ-CP)
