A 1.7 million USD project to strengthen the capacity of the Government Inspectorate and the Vietnamese Government in monitoring and reporting on corruption was launched in Hanoi on October 29.

The four-year project will be jointly conducted by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the European Commission and the Government Inspectorate.

Of the total budget for the project, the EU has contributed over 1.17 billion USD; the UNDP, 394,000 USD and Vietnam, 160,000 USD.

Speaking at the signing ceremony the same day, Setsuko Yamazaki, UNDP country director, said to achieve long-term economic and social development in Vietnam , the government should step up the fight against corruption.

By implementing the UN Convention against Corruption (UNCAC), Vietnam can further reduce its occurrence as well as contribute to poverty reduction work, she added.

The project is aimed at improving the ability of the Vietnamese government to prevent and combat corruption in compliance with the UNCAC. It also aims to build up institutional capacity to monitor and evaluate corruption and anti-corruption efforts and to support partnership-building and public involvement in the fight against the social ill.

Le Tien Hao, Deputy General Inspector, said together with dedicated assistance provided by other partner countries, the project will actively contribute to improving the effectiveness of efforts to tackle the issue in future.

The Government Inspectorate is committed to enhancing its leadership and direction over the project implementation as well as ensuring the proper and efficient use of the aid, he affirmed.

Earlier, the governments of Sweden , Denmark and the Netherlands jointly financed a project on strengthening the comprehensive capacity of the inspectorate system of Vietnam .

The UNCAC was ratified by Vietnam and became effective as of September 18, 2009./.