Socialist Republic of Vietnam

Ha Noi, June 19 (VNA) -- An agreement on promoting partnership relations in natural calamity control in Viet Nam's central region was signed at a two-day meeting of the consultative group of donors to Viet Nam held in Hoi An, central coastal Quang Nam province, on June 18 and 19.

Signatories were representatives of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Dutch Embassy, the Ministries of Finance, Planning, and Investment as well as the provincial authorities.

Under the agreement, 113 projects in infrastructure, irrigation, communications, and forestry in the central region will receive USD 78.2 million in the immediate phase, of which USD 40.7 million will come from donors.
Forty-one members of Viet Nam's relevant ministries and agencies and 99 representatives from 39 countries attended the two-day meeting.

Minister of Planning and Investment Tran Xuan Gia informed the participants of the national socio-economic development in the first six months and spoke of measures to fulfil the tasks of the next six months. These measures aim to accelerate production and product consumption and exports by turning to good account internal resources and re-arranging State-owned enterprises.

The participants focussed their discussions on the country's present economic situation, growth programmes, and credit programmes on poverty reduction. They also held informal discussions on issues relating to hunger eradication and poverty reduction, partnership relations, and the building of a strategy for hunger eradication and poverty reduction in Viet Nam with the aim of finding suitable measures to help Viet Nam's economic development and poverty reduction.--VNA