The United Nations in Vietnam is expected to release its plan for the One UN Initiative for the 2012-16 period early next year which would put more focus on policy advising instead of project implementation, said new UN resident co-ordinator Pratibha Mehta at her first press briefing on Dec. 21.

Mehta said the new strategic plan would take into account Vietnam 's new status as a middle-income country and would focus on three areas: inclusive growth and climate change; quality of basic services; and governance and participation.

"You cannot have a project in every single community but you can reach every single community if you have a national policy," she said. "We hope a lot more can be done with less money."

Mehta said the new One UN Initiative would allow the activities of the 16 UN agencies in Vietnam to be more efficient and cost effective, with priorities given to strengthening good governance and pushing forward administrative reform.

Vietnam is one of the nine pilot countries around the world that have adopted the One UN Initiative as part of the UN's efforts to improve the coherence of its agencies./.