Activities run by the People’s Aid Coordinating Committee (PACCOM) under the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations have proven effective, contributing to the country’s poverty reduction and sustainable development.

PACCOM’s efforts were reviewed during a get-together held by the committee in Hanoi on June 10, which was also to mark the 25th anniversary of its foundation.

Established when the country was first entering into its renewal process with many difficulties facing it, generations of PACCOM leaders have done their utmost to strengthen the organisation’s operations.

During its 25-year effort in mobilising aid, the committee received an increasing amount of assistance from non-governmental organisations (NGOs), especially foreign ones.

The number of foreign NGOs supporting Vietnam increased to 990 in 2013 from only 100 before 1990. Meanwhile, the total value of aid also surged from almost 20 million USD in 1990 up to 320 million USD last year, bringing the total assistance for the country from external NGOs during the recent decade to about 2.5 billion USD.

The ties between foreign NGOs and their Vietnamese partners have also seen a more intense and practical development.

PACCOM now serves as an effective bridge to link Vietnamese agencies and foreign NGOs in the country, contributing to promoting socio-economic developments in localities across the country.-VNA