Joint Circular No. 11/2007/TTLT/BVHTT-BTC guiding support for creative activities of literary and artistic works and projects at the central level and local Literature and Art Associations during the period from 2006 to 2010.

JOINT CIRCULAR

Guidelines for Supporting Creative Activities of Literary and Artistic Works at the Central Level

 and Local Literature and Art Associations during the Period 2006-2010

and the Literary and Art Associations at the local level for the period from 2006 to 2010

___________________

Pursuant to the State Budget Law number 01/2002/QH11 dated December 16, 2002;

Pursuant to Decision No. 926/QĐ-TTg dated July 6, 2006 of the Prime Minister approving the Project to continue supporting creative activities of literary and artistic works and press at the central level and local literature and art associations; supporting high-quality press works at the local level during the period 2006-2010

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Ministry of Finance jointly issue guidelines on implementing support for creative activities of literary and artistic works at the central level and local literature and art associations during the period 2006-2010 as follows:

I - GENERAL PROVISIONS

1- The State continues to support creative activities of literary and artistic works at the central and local levels during the period 2006-2010 through central literature and art associations (including: the National Union of Vietnam Writers' Associations, the Vietnam Writers' Association, the Vietnam Fine Arts Association, the Vietnam Theatre Artists' Association, the Vietnam Musicians' Association, the Vietnam Photographers' Association, the Vietnam Film Association, the Vietnam Architects' Association, the Vietnam Dance Artists' Association, the Vietnam Folk Literature and Art Association, the Vietnam Ethnic Minority Literature and Art Association) and local literature and art associations according to the contents approved by the Prime Minister in Decision No. 926/QĐ-TTg dated July 6, 2006 (hereinafter referred to as Decision 926) in the fields of literature, fine arts, music, theatre, film, architecture, photography, dance, folk literature, ethnic minority literature for topics reflecting:

a) History, periods of anti-war resistance to save the country, national cultural traditions.

b) The process of renovation in building and defending the country, positive factors, outstanding individuals in society, of the era.

c) Youth, children, ethnic minorities.

The State's financial support to increase funding sources and improve the quality of creative activities of literary and artistic works at the central and local levels shall not reduce the regular annual support provided to central and local literature and art associations.

2. Objectives and Scope of Support:

a) Creative activities of literary and artistic works (literary and artistic works are understood as research, collection, theoretical criticism, architecture, etc.):

- Authors, groups of authors who are members of central and local literature and art associations in creative activities of literary and artistic works (referred to as creative literary and artistic activities) consistent with the topics approved in Decision 926 to fulfill the country's and local political tasks;

 - Organizing seminars and training courses to enhance political and professional skills, nurture young literary and artistic talents; purchasing and updating information to serve the creative activities of association members;

- Holding creative camps, immersing in reality to complete literary and artistic works or to exchange information, improve professional skills;

- Appraising project outlines, accepting completed works, and related organizational work directly related to the implementation of support;

- Publishing works.

b) High-quality creative activities of literary and artistic works:

- Authors, groups of authors who have made significant contributions to literature and art, have substantial life experiences, are currently focusing on creating literary and artistic works, or authors, groups of authors recognized by the Standing Committee of the Association;

- Authors, groups of authors whose literary and artistic works have high quality but have not been invested in.

3- Scope Not Supported: Literary and artistic works that have already been supported by the state budget or funded (only supported once).

4- Forms of Financial Support: Commissioned creation of literary and artistic works or support for creation.

5- Sources of Financial Support:

- Central government support funds according to Decision No. 926/QĐ-TTg dated July 6, 2006 of the Prime Minister;

- Legal support from other agencies, organizations, and individuals both domestically and internationally.

II - SPECIFIC PROVISIONS

1- Direct support to authors, groups of authors who are members of central and local literature and art associations for the creation of literary and artistic works (including high-quality creative activities) within the topics specified in Point 1, Part I and approved project outlines.

The level of support is determined by the Standing Committees of the Associations based on the provisions of the "Regulation on Expenditure for Supporting the Creation of Literary and Artistic Works during the Period 2006-2010" of the Associations (hereinafter referred to as "Expenditure Regulation") and implemented through signing contracts.

2- Expenditure for organizing seminars, training sessions, holding creative camps, and immersing in reality. The content and level of expenditure for participants are applied according to Circular No. 23/2007/TT-BTC dated March 21, 2007 of the Ministry of Finance regarding travel expenses and expenditures for organizing meetings for state agencies and public institutions.

- Expenditure for purchasing materials, renting machinery and equipment to directly serve training sessions, seminars, and creative camps; purchasing materials to serve the creative activities of association members according to actual contracts and current regulations.

3- Expenditure for direct support activities for the creation of literary and artistic works including: remuneration, printing of documents, photocopying, office supplies, telephone, postal services... based on the actual situation each year and current regulations of the State.

4- Expenditure for organizing the appraisal of project outlines, evaluation, and acceptance of literary and artistic works. The direct expenditure level for members of the Appraisal Council for project outlines, evaluation, and acceptance of literary and artistic works is decided by the Standing Committees of Literature and Art Associations based on the allocated state budget and stipulated in the "Expenditure Regulation" of the Associations.

5- Support for the publication of works and projects. The level of support is specified in the "Regulation on Expenditure Support" of the Associations and implemented through the signing of contracts.

6- Material rewards support (limited quantity) for literary and artistic works and projects that are highly rated in terms of quality.

7- Other direct support related to activities supporting creativity.

8- Special expenditure items (if any), outside the regulations stipulated in this Circular and current financial expenditure systems, must have written approval from the Ministry of Finance (for Central Literary and Artistic Associations) and the Standing Committee of the Provincial People's Council (for Local Literary and Artistic Associations).

9- Costs for organizing, guiding, evaluating works, assessing, interim and final reviews of policies supporting creative work and project activities of the National Committee of the Vietnam Federation of Literature and Art Associations.

10- Central and local Literary and Artistic Associations shall implement:

a) Prepare plans for the use of support funds, submit to competent authorities for approval in accordance with the State Budget Law and current documents.

b) Develop and promulgate the "Regulation on Expenditure Support" after discussion, public disclosure, and consensus within the Executive Board and Secretariat of the Association. The "Regulation on Expenditure Support" shall be publicly disseminated to all members and sent to the financial authority at the same level for monitoring and supervision implementation; sent to the State Treasury where the unit has an account for transaction purposes as a basis for controlling expenditures.

The content of building the "Regulation on Expenditure Support" is guided in the Appendix attached to this Circular.

c) The Executive Committees of Central and Local Literary and Artistic Associations shall establish a Council to review, select outlines, manuscripts, evaluate, accept, and audit works and projects and use funds according to the issued "Regulation on Expenditure Support" to ensure support for the right subjects, for the right purposes, and effectively.

d) Implement financial transparency in accordance with Circular No. 21/2005/TT-BTC dated March 22, 2005, of the Ministry of Finance guiding the implementation of financial transparency regulations for budgetary units and organizations supported by the state budget; current regulations.

e) Implement self-audit and accounting at the unit in accordance with the Accounting Law, Decision No. 67/2004/QD-BTC dated August 13, 2004, of the Minister of Finance on issuing the regulation on self-audit and accounting at agencies and units using state budget funds; current regulations.

g) When implementing the "Regulation on Expenditure Support," the unit must ensure having lawful and valid receipts and invoices in accordance with the regulations.

11- Funding Implementation:

a) Funding for supporting creative activities of specialized Central Literary and Artistic Associations during the period 2006-2010 is 91,260 million VND (excluding funding for the Vietnam Journalists' Association).

b) Funding for supporting creative activities of local Literary and Artistic Associations is 84,000 million VND.

12- The preparation of budgets, execution, and settlement of funding for supporting creative activities of literary and artistic works and projects shall be carried out in accordance with the State Budget Law, documents guiding the implementation of the State Budget Law, and the provisions of this Circular.

At the end of the year, unused funding for support can be transferred to the next year in accordance with current regulations.

13- Inspection, supervision, and auditing activities shall be carried out in accordance with current laws.

14- Responsibilities of agencies and units:

a) Central and local Literary and Artistic Associations:

- Annually conduct summaries, evaluations, and report on the situation and results of supporting creative activities of literary and artistic works and projects to the National Committee of the Vietnam Federation of Literature and Art Associations and concurrently send to the People's Committee of provinces and centrally-administered cities (for local Literary and Artistic Associations) for monitoring and guidance.

- Allocate part of the funds to support high-quality creative activities of literary and artistic works and projects in accordance with Decision No. 926/QĐ-TTg dated July 6, 2006, of the Prime Minister.

- Local Literary and Artistic Associations are responsible for coordinating with local specialized state management agencies to organize good creative activities of literary and artistic works and projects.

b) National Committee of the Vietnam Federation of Literature and Art Associations:

- Serve as the focal point for compiling reports on the annual plan implementation results at the central and local levels; serve as the focal point for coordinating with state management agencies in organizing the implementation of support regulations at the central and local levels in accordance with current regulations and rules.

- Organize training courses, workshops, and creative camps for members of local Literary and Artistic Associations.

- Annually conduct summaries, evaluations, and promptly identify difficulties and report them to the Prime Minister and relevant Ministries and sectors.

c) Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism:

- Coordinate with the National Committee of the Vietnam Federation of Literature and Art Associations, relevant Ministries, Departments, and People's Committees of provinces and centrally-administered cities to guide the organization and implementation process and provide timely adjustments to contents not aligned with the Party and State's goals and directions.

- Compile and report on the situation and results of the use of support funds at the central and local levels; recommend appropriate reward forms for outstanding literary and artistic works and projects to the Prime Minister.

d) The Ministry of Finance shall coordinate with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to inspect the use of funds for supporting creative activities of literary and artistic works and projects.

e) People's Committees of provinces and centrally-administered cities shall guide the organization and implementation of support plans for creative activities of literary and artistic works and projects in accordance with current regulations; create favorable conditions for local Literary and Artistic Associations to complete assigned tasks.

15- This Circular shall take effect from the fiscal year 2007. For the fiscal year 2006, the Central Literary and Art Associations shall implement in accordance with Circular Joint Circular No. 52/2003/TTLT-BVHTT-BTC dated August 29, 2003, issued by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Ministry of Finance, guiding the support for creative works and literary and artistic projects and press activities under the state order system; the local Literary and Art Associations shall implement in accordance with Joint Circular No. 74/2004/TTLT-BTC-BVHTT dated July 19, 2004, issued by the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, guiding the support for funding for creative work and literary and artistic projects in 2004.

III- IMPLEMENTATION PROVISIONS

This Circular shall take effect fifteen days after its publication in the Official Gazette.

Any difficulties or issues encountered during implementation should be reported to the relevant ministries for study and appropriate amendments and supplements./.