Circular No. 22/2016/TT-BTTTT guiding the management of external information activities of provinces and centrally governed cities

CIRCULAR

Guidelines for Managing External Information Activities of Provinces and Central Cities

Based on Decree No. 132/2013/ND-CP dated October 16, 2013 of the Government on the functions, tasks, powers, and organizational structure of the Ministry of Information and Communications;

Pursuant to Decree No. 72/2015/ND-CP dated September 7, 2015 of the Government on management of foreign information activities;

Pursuant to Decision No. 25/2013/QD-TTg dated May 4, 2013 of the Government Chairman promulgating the Regulations on Public Speaking and Providing Information to the Press;

Considering the proposal of the Director of the Department of External Information,

The Minister of Information and Communications issues this Circular guiding the management and implementation of external information activities of provinces and central cities.

PART I

GENERAL PROVISIONS

Article 1. Scope of Regulation

This Circular guides the management and implementation of external information activities of provinces and central cities.

Article 2. Applicability

This Circular applies to the People's Committees of provinces and central cities directly under the Central Government (hereinafter referred to as Provincial People's Committee), specialized agencies under the Provincial People's Committee; People's Committees of districts, towns, urban districts, and provincial-level cities (hereinafter referred to as District People's Committee); organizations and individuals participating in external information activities.

Article 3. Content of the Plan for Foreign Information Activities

The Provincial People's Committee bases its plans for long-term, medium-term, and annual external information activities on the planning, programs, and plans of the Government; the economic and social development goals and orientations of the province or city; and the guidelines for external information work issued by the Ministry of Information and Communications, including the following main tasks:

1. Assigning organizations or individuals responsible for implementing external information activities.

2. Drafting and issuing normative legal documents, directives, and instructions for managing and directing external information activities.

3. Organizing training and capacity building for officials at the department level and above, and other participants in external information activities annually on the following key contents:

a) Implementation of regulatory documents on foreign information management.

b) Methods and skills in external information work;

c) Skills in issuing statements and providing information to the press.

d) International situation and foreign affairs activities of the Party and State.

d) The situation of international integration of Vietnam and the province or city;

e) The situation of struggles to protect national maritime and border territories;

g) Disseminating knowledge and raising awareness about human rights; promoting achievements in ensuring human rights in Vietnam and the province or city;

h) Relations between Vietnam and neighboring countries (for provinces with borders).

4. Developing projects, programs, and external information activities to implement the following key tasks:

a) Information on the Party's guidelines and the State's policies and laws.

b) Providing information on international situations and foreign affairs activities of the Party and State, and the situation of international integration of the province or city;

c) Promoting the image of the province or city, tourism potential, trade promotion, and attracting foreign investment;

d) Supplying information on issues related to the province or city that are of interest to foreign public opinion; clarifying and refuting false information affecting the reputation and image of the province or city;

đ) Promoting the protection of national maritime and border territories;

e) Other tasks as required by the province or city.

Article 4. Funding for external information activities

The funding for external information activities of provinces and central cities comes from local budgets and other legitimate sources. Annually, based on the requirements and tasks of external information, the Provincial People's Committee allocates the local budget according to current regulations.

Chapter II

EXTERNAL INFORMATION ACTIVITIES

Article 5. Provision of information for promoting the image of provinces and cities

Information for promoting the image of provinces and cities shall be provided through the following methods:

1. External activities of the People's Committee at the provincial level.

2. The online portal/information website of the People's Committee at the provincial level, specialized agencies under the People's Committee at the provincial level; People's Committee at the district level, in Vietnamese and foreign languages.

3. The promotional image data system of the province/city.

4. Publications in Vietnamese and foreign languages.

5. Information systems for external communication at international border gates, sea ports, airports, and railway stations.

6. Media products of domestic mass media outlets.

7. Products of foreign news agencies, press, and media organizations.

8. Communication products widely disseminated via the internet.

9. Activities involving contact and cooperation with foreign press agencies.

10. Communication activities of major events organized in the province/city and abroad.

11. Other forms of external information activities as prescribed by law.

Article 6. Provision of Information for Explanation and Clarification

1. Explanatory information consists of materials, documents, files, and arguments aimed at clarifying and refuting false information that affects the reputation and image of the province/city.

2. The People's Committee at the provincial level shall organize monitoring and compiling public opinion from domestic and foreign media regarding the situation in the province/city. When the People's Committee at the provincial level discovers or receives false information affecting the reputation and image of the province/city, it has the responsibility to notify the Ministry of Information and Communications and relevant agencies to support management work.

3. The People's Committee at the provincial level shall proactively implement measures for providing information and propaganda to protect and enhance the reputation and image of the province/city through the following forms:

a) Issuing press releases to explain and clarify false information; spokespersons of the People's Committee at the provincial level, specialized agencies under the People's Committee at the provincial level; People's Committee at the district level, providing statements and information to the press within the province/city;

b) Sending representatives or spokespersons to participate in press briefings organized by the Central Propaganda Department in coordination with the Ministry of Information and Communications and the Vietnam Journalists' Association to provide explanatory and clarifying information to media agencies when requested by the Ministry of Information and Communications;

c) Publishing explanatory and clarifying information on the online portal/information website of the People's Committee at the provincial level, specialized agencies under the People's Committee at the provincial level; People's Committee at the district level; media products of news agencies, press, and other means, in Vietnamese and foreign languages;

d) Providing information for news agencies and press to explain and refute false information;

đ) Organizing the provision of information for forces participating in external information activities and compatriots in border areas, including contents: explaining and clarifying false information; cooperative and friendly relations between Vietnam and neighboring countries sharing borders.

4. Information containing state secrets must comply with legal provisions on protecting state secrets.

Article 7. Provincial and municipal image promotion data system

1. The provincial and municipal image promotion data system is a digitalized data system in Vietnamese and foreign languages, introducing provinces and cities across various fields, provided to the international community and overseas Vietnamese.

2. The provincial and municipal image promotion data system serves as the official source of information about provinces and cities.

3. The provincial and municipal image promotion data system is integrated into the national database on external information.

4. Specialized agencies under the Provincial People's Committee; the District People's Committee; news agencies, press, and media organizations within the province or city have the responsibility to provide information and data for the provincial and municipal image promotion system.

Article 8. Support and cooperation with news agencies, press, media, and foreign journalists

The Provincial People's Committee assigns specialized agencies under the Provincial People's Committee to take the lead in:

1. Establishing regulations according to current provisions, creating favorable conditions for news agencies, press, media, and foreign journalists to operate within the province or city.

2. Developing cooperation mechanisms with news agencies, press, media, and foreign journalists to implement communication products that introduce and promote the images of provinces and cities through mass media outlets abroad.

Chapter III

MANAGEMENT OF FOREIGN INFORMATION ACTIVITIES

Article 9. Responsibilities of the Provincial People's Committee

1. Implementing the Party and State’s policies and guidelines on external information work within the province or city.

2. Issuing regulatory legal documents and directives to guide and manage external information activities.

3. Approving long-term, medium-term, and annual programs, projects, plans for external information activities of the province or city.

4. Directing specialized agencies under the Provincial People's Committee; the District People's Committee to allocate staff responsible for external information work.

5. Providing official information about the province or city within their functions, tasks, and authorities to news agencies, press, the international community, and overseas Vietnamese.

6. Building an external information system at international border gate areas by land, sea, air, and rail (for provinces with international border gates by land, sea, air, and rail).

7. Cooperating with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Information and Communications, and related agencies to develop and organize external information activities abroad; reporting to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs before organizing such activities and notifying the Ministry of Information and Communications for coordination in implementing the content of external information activities.

8. Ensuring confidentiality of information within the management scope of the Provincial People's Committee according to regulations on information security; being responsible for conducting inspections, handling violations, and resolving complaints and denunciations in external information activities within the province or city.

9. Summarizing, concluding, and evaluating external information activities within the management scope; submitting the Annual External Information Activity Plan to the Ministry of Information and Communications before March 1st annually, following the format specified in Appendix No. 01 of this Circular; submitting the Final Report on External Information Work to the Ministry of Information and Communications before December 10th, following the format specified in Appendix No. 02 of this Circular. When requested urgently by the Ministry of Information and Communications, the Provincial People's Committee shall submit reports to the Ministry of Information and Communications and relevant agencies.

Article 10. Responsibilities of the Department of Information and Communications

1. Advise and assist the People's Committee of the province in state management of foreign information.

2. Develop regulations and rules on foreign information activities in the province/city.

3. Take the lead and coordinate with specialized agencies under the People's Committee of the province; the People's Committee of the district to perform the following key tasks:

a) Develop long-term, medium-term, and annual programs, projects, plans for foreign information activities of the province/city as stipulated in Article 3 of this Circular; organize and implement these programs, projects, plans after approval by the People's Committee of the province;

b) Guide specialized agencies under the People's Committee of the province; the People's Committee of the district to allocate staff responsible for foreign information work;

c) Supervise, guide, inspect, and examine foreign information work in the province/city; propose rewards for organizations and individuals who have made achievements in foreign information work within their authority.

4. Take the lead and organize the review of long-term, medium-term, and annual programs, projects, plans for foreign information activities of specialized agencies under the People's Committee of the province; the People's Committee of the district; approve (within their authority) or submit to the People's Committee of the province for approval these programs, projects, plans for foreign information activities; monitor and urge the progress of implementation of these programs, projects, plans after approval.

5. Coordinate to develop regulations to facilitate the operation of news agencies, press, media, and foreign journalists in the province/city; build cooperation mechanisms with news agencies, press, media, and foreign journalists to produce products promoting the image of the province/city on foreign mass media.

6. Coordinate with the Provincial Party Propaganda Department, specialized agencies under the People's Committee of the province, advise the People's Committee of the province to organize regular and ad hoc press conferences, provide foreign information to news agencies, press, organizations, and individuals concerned.

7. Take the lead and coordinate with specialized agencies under the People's Committee of the province; the People's Committee of the district and functional forces to organize training and professional development as stipulated in Clause 3, Article 3 of this Circular.

8. Take the lead and coordinate with specialized agencies under the People's Committee of the province; the People's Committee of the district, advise the People's Committee of the province to compile materials, documents, files, arguments to explain, clarify, and combat false information that affects the reputation and image of the province/city.

9. Take the lead and coordinate with specialized agencies under the People's Committee of the province to build, manage, and utilize the system of data for promoting the image of the province/city; implement legal provisions on protecting state secrets regarding the storage process of the data system.

10. Take the lead and coordinate with specialized agencies under the People's Committee of the province and functional forces to develop annual plans and budgets for compiling content provided to the foreign information system at international border gates, sea ports, airports, railways, submit to the People's Committee of the province for approval.

11. Implement legal provisions on protecting state secrets in foreign information work.

12. Take the lead and coordinate with specialized agencies under the People's Committee of the province; the People's Committee of the district, propose the Ministry of Information and Communications or the People's Committee of the province to reward organizations and individuals who have made achievements in foreign information work within their authority.

13. Take the lead and coordinate with the Inspectorate of the Ministry of Information and Communications, specialized agencies under the People's Committee of the province; the People's Committee of the district to carry out inspections, examinations, handling violations, and resolving complaints and denunciations in foreign information activities in the province/city according to regulations.

Chapter IV

IMPLEMENTING PROVISIONS

Article 11. Implementation Organization

1. The People's Committee of the province is responsible for directing specialized agencies under the People's Committee of the province; the People's Committee of the district under its jurisdiction to implement this Circular.

2. The Foreign Information Agency is responsible for urging, monitoring, and inspecting the implementation of this Circular, periodically reporting results to the Minister of Information and Communications.

Article 12. Effective Date

This Circular takes effect from December 2, 2016.

During the implementation, if there are difficulties or issues not suitable, please report in writing to the Ministry of Information and Communications for consideration and adjustment.

APPENDIX 01

(Issued together with Circular number /2016/TT-BTTTT dated ... month ... year

... of the Ministry of Information and Communications)

PROVINCE (CITY) PEOPLE'S COMMITTEE

Number:

..., day ... month ... year ...

PLAN

FOREIGN INFORMATION ACTIVITIES IN YEAR...

1. OBJECTIVES AND REQUIREMENTS FOR BUILDING THE PLAN

1. Objectives:Requirements:

1. MAXIMUM SCORE

1. Building legal normative documents and directive documents for external information activitiesStaffing for external information workTraining and professional developmentBuilding programs, projects, and plans for external informationSpecific external information activities

1. BUDGETIMPLEMENTATION ORGANIZATION

Place of Receipt:

• Ministry of Information and Communications;Related agencies;For record.

ATTACHMENTSEAL OF THE PEOPLE'S COMMITTEEOFFICIAL SEAL OF THE CHAIRMAN(Signature, full name, and seal imprint)

ANNEX 02(Issued together with Circular number /2016/TT-BTTTTdated ... month ... year

... of the Ministry of Information and Communications)

PROVINCE (CITY) PEOPLE'S COMMITTEE SOCIALIST REPUBLIC OF VIETNAM

Independence - Freedom - Happiness

No.: ..., dated ..., month ..., year ...

Situation of Publishing Foreign-Related Information Content on the Press in Year……

STATE MANAGEMENT WORK ON EXTERNAL INFORMATIONIN YEAR...

1. CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SITUATIONAdvantagesChallenges

1. IMPLEMENTATION RESULTS

1. Work on building legal normative documents and directive documents for external information activitiesStaffing for external information workTraining and professional developmentWork on implementing programs, projects, and plans in the field of external informationImplementation of external information activitiesBudget

1. EVALUATION OF IMPLEMENTATION RESULTS

1. StrengthsWeaknesses, limitations

1. DIRECTION AND TASKS FOR THE COMING YEARRECOMMENDATIONS, PROPOSALS

Place of Receipt:

• Ministry of Information and Communications;Related agencies;For record.