Decision No. 01/2002/NQ-CP of the Government's regular meeting in December 2001

RESOLUTION

Regular Meeting of the Government in December 2001

On December 27, 28, and the morning of December 29, 2001, the Government convened its regular meeting for December 2001 to discuss and adopt the following issues::

1- The Government heard the Minister of Trade present the Report to the Government on the Program for Implementing the Vietnam - United States Trade Agreement:

The Vietnam - United States Trade Agreement has been in effect since December 10, 2001. Based on the spirit of the Resolution of the National Assembly dated November 28, 2001 approving the Agreement between the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and the United States of America on trade relations and commitments agreed upon, the Government directs the development of a Program to proactively implement the Agreement effectively. The Program includes specific activities that are synchronized with appropriate steps aimed at: introducing and ensuring understanding among Ministries, sectors, localities, and enterprises about the main contents of the Agreement, the advantages, difficulties, and responsibilities of all levels, sectors, and enterprises during the implementation process; urgent actions to be taken to create a proactive stance such as: studying and amending relevant legal documents, reforming and restructuring state-owned enterprises, promoting trade, and implementing measures to protect against unfair trade practices; organizing training programs to meet immediate and long-term needs for human resources serving state agencies at central and local levels and enterprises to fulfill their tasks in the context of international economic integration generally, and specifically under the Agreement.

The Government agrees to approve the content of the Program. The Ministry of Trade is assigned to lead, coordinate with the Government Office, the Government Organizational and Cadre Affairs Board, the Ministry of Education and Training, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, and related Ministries and sectors, to incorporate the opinions of Government members, finalize the draft Program, submit it to the Prime Minister for consideration and issuance of a Decision approving it in January 2002.

Based on the approved General Program by the Prime Minister, Ministries, sectors, localities, and enterprises must develop specific action plans in the first quarter of 2002 regarding the necessary implementations, propose solutions to develop production, enhance competitiveness of products and industries, and enterprises, to proactively fulfill the commitments under the Agreement.

2- The Government heard the Minister of Trade present the Report to the Government on the draft Ordinance on Most-Favored-Nation Treatment and National Treatment in International Trade; the draft Ordinance on Measures to Protect Against Unfair Trade Practices in Foreign Trade; and the Minister, Head of the Government Office present the Summary of Opinions from Government Members on the two draft Ordinances.

Most-Favored-Nation Treatment and National Treatment are fundamental principles in international trade and also important factors in economic trade policy. To date, the legal provisions concerning most-favored-nation treatment and national treatment have not been specifically defined in the Vietnamese legal system. As our country increasingly participates in the international market, while there are positive aspects, there are also unpredictable negative impacts. Therefore, issuing the Ordinance on Most-Favored-Nation Treatment and National Treatment in International Trade, and the Ordinance on Measures to Protect Against Unfair Trade Practices in Foreign Trade at this time is very necessary. These Ordinances will institutionalize the principles of international trade in Vietnamese law, serve as a basis for signing and participating in bilateral and multilateral trade agreements, and facilitate Vietnam's accession to the World Trade Organization in the near future.

The Ministry of Trade is assigned to lead, coordinate with the Government Office, the Ministry of Justice, and related Ministries and sectors, to incorporate the opinions of Government members, finalize the two draft Ordinances, submit them to the Prime Minister for consideration before presenting to the Standing Committee of the National Assembly.

3- The Government heard the Chairman of the National Population and Family Planning Commission present the Report to the Government on the draft Ordinance on Population; and the Minister, Head of the Government Office present the Summary of Opinions from Government Members on the draft Ordinance.

In recent years, the State has focused on directing and investing heavily in population work, issuing many policies and legal documents on population work, aiming to improve the quality of human resources to serve the task of economic and social development. Population work has achieved many significant results, stabilizing the population growth rate and quality, improving literacy, reducing poverty... Given the development of economic and social conditions and the trend of international economic integration, the current population policy has revealed many shortcomings, requiring a legal document with high legal value to provide a basis for the comprehensive and effective implementation of population work.

The National Population and Family Planning Commission is assigned to lead, coordinate with the Government Office, the Ministry of Justice, and related Ministries and sectors, to incorporate the opinions of Government members, finalize the draft Ordinance, submit it to the Prime Minister for consideration before presenting to the Standing Committee of the National Assembly.

4- The Government heard the Minister of Health present the Report to the Government on the draft Ordinance on Private Practice in Healthcare; and the Minister, Head of the Government Office present the Summary of Opinions from Government Members on the draft Ordinance.

With the policy of the State and the people working together, in 1993, the Ordinance on Private Medical and Pharmaceutical Practice was promulgated and contributed positively to the development of socialized medical activities and better care for the health of the people. Starting from the needs of the people who wish to enjoy more convenient and higher quality healthcare services, the promulgation of the Ordinance on Non-Public Medical Practice based on inheriting the Ordinance on Private Medical and Pharmaceutical Practice is necessary to create a complete legal framework for the development of non-public medical activities.

Entrust the Ministry of Health to take the lead, coordinate with the Office of the Government, the Ministry of Justice, and relevant ministries and sectors, incorporate the opinions of government members, perfect the draft Ordinance, and submit it to the Prime Minister for consideration before presenting it to the Standing Committee of the National Assembly for review.

5- The Government listens to the Minister of Science, Technology, and Environment's presentation on the Government's draft proposal for the Reform Scheme of Scientific and Technological Management Mechanism for the period 2001-2005.

In recent years, science and technology have played many roles in developing the country's economy and society. Despite this, scientific and technological activities have not yet been truly closely linked with economic and social activities; there are still overlaps among state management agencies in this field; investment in building scientific and technological infrastructure has not been concentrated, failing to fully utilize the potential of the scientific workforce. To create fundamental reforms, further enhance the effectiveness of scientific and technological activities and research, and make science and technology a true foundation and driving force for economic and social development, the management mechanism for scientific and technological activities needs to be continuously reformed in terms of organization, finance, human resources, policies...

Entrust the Ministry of Science, Technology, and Environment to take the lead, coordinate with the Office of the Government, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Planning and Investment, and relevant ministries and sectors, incorporate the opinions of government members, perfect the above scheme, and submit it to the Prime Minister for consideration and approval.

6- The Government listens to the Minister of Planning and Investment's report on some key points regarding the economic and social situation in December and throughout 2001.

The Government agrees to approve this Report.

7- The Government listens to the Minister, Head of the Office of the Government's report on reviewing the guidance and implementation in 2001 and the Government's work program for 2002.

The Government agrees to approve this Report.

In 2001, the Government promptly implemented the annual plan tasks, paid attention to resolving urgent issues, reasonably allocated time for institutional and macro-strategy construction work; effectively managed key tasks aimed at transforming agricultural production and consumption structures, opening up markets, encouraging exports, accelerating investment project progress, tapping domestic resources, improving people's living standards, providing relief and mitigating losses in flood-affected areas... Foreign affairs and international economic integration made significant strides. Social work showed positive changes. Efforts were made to prevent the plots and actions of reactionary organizations abroad exploiting ethnic and religious issues to cause disturbances in certain areas.

Although there are still some limitations, generally speaking, the Government has made great efforts in guidance and management work. The Government collective is united, raises community responsibility awareness, closely follows the guidelines, delves into grassroots levels, makes timely decisions, flexibly manages, and effectively implements tasks set forth in Party and National Assembly resolutions.

In 2002, ministries, sectors, and localities need to focus on implementing successfully the five key tasks presented by the Prime Minister at the tenth session of the Xth National Assembly; strictly implement the "Improvement of Administrative Discipline" within the state administrative apparatus to fundamentally address the current laxity in administrative discipline. From the first quarter of 2002, all levels, sectors, and localities must summarize, evaluate, and report to the Government on the implementation of government policies and decisions and those of various levels in the administrative system to develop plans for improvement and handling.

Regarding the main measures to be focused on implementing in the first quarter of 2002, the Government requests ministries, sectors, and localities to urgently deploy the allocation of plans to ministries, sectors, localities, and units; concentrate on resolving complaints and petitions, especially long-standing cases; ensure that the people celebrate the Lunar New Year (Nhâm Ngọ) happily, safely, and thriftily, fostering confidence and determination to achieve the economic and social development plan for 2002 right from the start of the year and the first quarter.