Decision No. 195/2003/QĐ-TTg Establishing the Fund for Supporting Diplomatic Activities Serving Economic Development

DECISION

OF THE GOVERNMENT PRIME MINISTER NUMBER 195/2003/QĐ-TTG SEPTEMBER 18, 2003 ESTABLISHING THE FUND TO SUPPORT FOREIGN AFFAIRS ACTIVITIES SERVING ECONOMY

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THE GOVERNMENT PRIME MINISTER

Pursuant to the Law on Government Organization dated December 25, 2001;
Pursuant to Decree No. 8/2003/NĐ-CP dated February 10, 2003 of the Government regarding activities of Vietnamese diplomatic missions abroad serving economic development tasks;
Upon the proposal of the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Minister of Finance,

DECIDES

Article 1. To establish a Fund to support foreign affairs activities serving economy (hereinafter referred to as the Fund) under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, managed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Article 2. Sources of operating capital for the Fund

1. The Fund shall be formed from the following sources:

a. State budget allocation;

b. Contributions from domestic and foreign enterprises when supported by Vietnamese diplomatic missions abroad (hereinafter referred to as Diplomatic Missions) through verification and evaluation of partners; support in contract signing; provision of information, advice, and other services. The Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs shall specify the specific collection levels;

c. Voluntary contributions from domestic and foreign enterprises, organizations, and individuals;

d. Other sources of revenue.

2. The State budget allocates sixteen billion Vietnamese dong (VND 16 billion) as initial operating funds for the Fund. Annually, based on the results and objectives of the Fund's activities, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Finance shall prepare a budget proposal to submit to the competent authority for approval of additional annual funding for the Fund.

Article 3. Principles of use and scope of expenditure of the Fund

1. Principles of use:

a. The Fund must be managed and used centrally, yielding practical benefits for activities and priority areas in each period;

b. The Fund may only be used for activities serving the expansion of foreign economic relations, not for regular expenses of Diplomatic Missions.

2. The Fund shall be used for the following activities:

a. Investigating and seeking foreign partners to promote foreign economic relations, expand and seek new markets and partners, contributing to resolving disputes in foreign economic activities;

b. Collecting information on economics, technology, science and technology of value;

c. Building channels of relationships with the political and financial circles of the host country;

d. Other activities as directed by the Government;

đ. Activities supporting the implementation of tasks serving economic development assigned by the Minister of Foreign Affairs to Diplomatic Missions;

e. Rewarding individuals and groups for outstanding achievements in diplomatic work serving the economy.

Article 4. The Minister of Foreign Affairs shall take the lead and coordinate with the Minister of Finance to issue the Regulations on the operation of the Fund. The Minister of Foreign Affairs is responsible for managing the Fund in accordance with current regulations and the Regulations on the operation of the Fund; annually reporting to the Prime Minister on the results of the Fund's activities. The Minister of Finance is responsible for supervising the Fund’s operations in accordance with current financial management regulations.

Article 5. This Decision shall take effect fifteen days after its publication in the Official Gazette. The Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Minister of Finance, and heads of relevant agencies are responsible for implementing this Decision.