The UNDP/UNFPA and UNOPS Executive Board has approved in principle the Common Country Programme Document (CCPDs) for Vietnam in the 2012-2016 period, at its regular meeting in New York from Sept. 6-9, saying the document has been well prepared.

The document, the first joint cooperation programme among the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) and the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), will be submitted to the Board for official approval at its next meeting.

The cooperation programme between Vietnam and the UNDP, with a total budget of 173.46 million USD, will support Vietnam in building development policies, including the social welfare system, legal and judicial reform, improving institutional capacity and coping with climate change through policy consultancies and technical assistance.

Leaders of UNDP, UNFPA and the board’s member countries have applauded Vietnam’s coordination in the drafting of the CCPD, particularly the Vietnamese Government’s commitments to boosting the coordination among UN organisations through the One UN Initiative and its efforts in using cooperation development resources in an effective manner.

Addressing the board’s meeting, the Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the UN, Ambassador Le Hoai Trung stressed that the CCPD, which is aligned with the One Plan for 2012-2016 for all the 17 participating United Nations organizations in Vietnam, which was developed in line with Vietnam’s Socio-Economic Development Plan 2011-2015 and its development strategies in different sectors, UN organizations’ mandate and priorities and inputs from other international development partners.

“We would also like to draw the Board's attention to the joint commitments made therein to the betterment of the social protection system, enhancement of gender equality, environmental protection and promotion of Vietnam's international integration. We hope that there would be sufficient resources for the implementation of the framework,” he said, adding Vietnam is determined to work with the partners in activities to implement the CCPD./.