The European Union will contribute 9.8 million USD to help strengthen the rule of law in Vietnam through the implementation of the Justice Partnership Programme (JPP).

The Financing Agreement on cooperation in the justice sector was signed yesterday by Deputy Minister of Justice Hoang The Lien and the Ambassador and Head of the EU Delegation to Vietnam , Sean Doyle.

The JPP was approved by the Prime Minister in 2009 and will be the largest project, in financial terms, in the area of support to legal and judicial reform in Vietnam .

It aims to foster the development of a capable, ethical, democratic and rights-protecting justice sector through undertaking activities under three components.

The first will help the Ministry of Justice, Supreme People's Court and Supreme People's Procuracy in their efforts to implement judicial reform. The second will involve the Viet Nam Bar Federation, and help facilitate the functioning of this institution, which was also approved by the Prime Minister in 2009. The third component of the JPP will strengthen the capacities of non-governmental organisations so they can contribute to the awareness of rights and access to justice.

The budget for the project will total 22.9 million USD with 1.8 million USD coming from the Government of Vietnam. Denmark and Sweden will also add additional financial support to the programme./.