Circular No. 24/2001/TT-BYT guiding the organization and management of international conferences and seminars on health in Vietnam

CIRCULAR

Guidelines for organizing and managing international health conferences and seminars in Vietnam

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||| To implement Decision No. 122/2001/QĐ-TTg dated August 21, 2001 of the Prime Minister on organizing and managing international conferences and seminars in Vietnam and Circular No. 113/BTCCBCP-HTQT dated September 10, 2001 of the Government Organizational and Civil Service Committee regarding guidance on implementing Decision No. 122/QĐ-TTg dated August 21, 2001 of the Prime Minister, the Ministry of Health provides detailed guidelines for organizing and managing international health conferences and seminars in Vietnam as follows:

I. GENERAL PROVISIONS:

1. These guidelines regulate activities related to organizing conferences, seminars, forums, and roundtable discussions involving participation or sponsorship from international organizations within the United Nations system, foreign countries, and foreign non-governmental organizations; organized by foreign agencies and organizations in Vietnam (hereinafter referred to as international conferences and seminars).

2. These guidelines apply to all units under the Ministry of Health and provincial/municipal health departments directly under the central government and health sectors with sufficient expertise, professional skills, and facilities to cooperate with foreign parties in organizing international conferences and seminars with content within the scope of the Ministry of Health's administrative management.

3. These guidelines also apply to foreign agencies and organizations that have been authorized by competent Vietnamese authorities to operate within Vietnam.

4. The Ministry of Health uniformly manages state administration over the organization and implementation of international conferences, seminars, and forums with content related to professional, vocational, scientific, technical, and technological matters within the scope of the Ministry of Health's administrative management, from the stage of reviewing plans, contents, scale, quantity, representative composition (domestic and foreign), time, location, and funding sources for organizing international conferences and seminars; permits the organization of international conferences and seminars through written documentation; guides and supervises compliance with regulations on organizing conferences and seminars as stipulated in Decision No. 122/QĐ-TTg dated August 21, 2001 and these guidelines.

5. The Department of International Cooperation - Ministry of Health has the function of advising the Minister of Health on state management functions regarding the organization and management of international health conferences and seminars and is responsible for monitoring and evaluating the results of annual international conference and seminar organization by subordinate units, reporting to the leadership of the Ministry of Health.

6. Provincial/Municipal Health Departments directly under the central government are responsible for assisting the People's Committees of provinces and cities in managing the organization and implementation of international conferences and seminars according to the provisions of Decision No. 122/QĐ-TTg dated August 21, 2001 of the Prime Minister and these guidelines.

7. Heads of units directly under the Ministry of Health who organize international conferences and seminars are responsible under the law for implementing the Prime Minister's regulations on organizing international health conferences and seminars as stipulated in Decision No. 122/QĐ-TTg dated August 21, 2001 and these guidelines.

II. SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:

1. Authority to permit the organization of international conferences and seminars

1.1. International health conferences and seminars related to the following areas must be approved by the Prime Minister:

a) High-level international conferences and seminars where participants are heads of state or high-ranking officials equivalent to ministerial level or higher from various countries and international organizations,

b) International conferences and seminars dealing with political, ethnic, religious, security, defense issues, and matters involving state secrets.

1.2. The Minister of Health decides on the organization of international conferences and seminars and permits the Ministry of Health and its subordinate units to organize international conferences and seminars with content related to professional, vocational, scientific, technical, and technological matters within the scope of the Ministry of Health's administrative management.

1.3. The Chairman of the People's Committee of provinces and centrally-administered cities permits the organization of local international health conferences and seminars after obtaining written agreement from the Ministry of Health.

2. Procedures and formalities for requesting permission to organize international conferences and seminars

2.1. Formalities:

Subordinate units of the Ministry of Health must request permission from the Ministry of Health (Department of International Cooperation) in writing before organizing international conferences and seminars. The content of the document must include the following requirements:

a) Purpose of the international conference or seminar;

b) Plan and content of the international conference or seminar;

c) Time and location of the event, survey locations (if applicable);

d) Organizing entities: domestic agency, foreign agency, sponsor agency (if applicable);

e) Participants: number and composition of representatives including both domestic and foreign delegates;

f) Funding source;

g) Opinions of relevant agencies (if applicable).

2.2. Procedure:

a - For international conferences and seminars within the authority of the Prime Minister: The Department of International Cooperation coordinates with relevant Departments and Bureaus to draft documents for submission to the Ministry's leadership for soliciting opinions from relevant Ministries and then submitting for approval to the Prime Minister, simultaneously sending to the Government Organizational and Civil Service Committee.

b - For international conferences and seminars within the authority of the Ministry: The Department of International Cooperation seeks opinions from relevant Departments and Bureaus, then submits to the Ministry's leadership for decision-making and permission for subordinate units to organize conferences and seminars through written documentation.

c - For international conferences and seminars at the local level: Upon receiving a letter seeking opinion from the locality, the Department of International Cooperation is responsible for soliciting opinions from relevant Departments and Bureaus, then drafting a letter for the Ministry's leadership to sign and send to the locality.

2.3. For international conferences and seminars organized using state budget funds, the organizing units must prepare a budget estimate for inclusion in their annual budget according to the laws on financial management.

3. Responsibilities of units organizing international conferences and seminars

Units organizing conferences and seminars are responsible for direct and comprehensive management of international conferences and seminars in the following areas:

3.1. Manage the organization of conferences, the content of speeches, information dissemination, and other publications to be distributed at international conferences; be responsible for the content of documents, materials, data, reports, presentations, and publications issued before, during, and after international conferences and seminars.

3.2. Strictly comply with legal provisions on protecting state secrets and regulations concerning information dissemination.

3.3. Detect and promptly take measures to handle individuals and organizations that violate the law or intentionally contravene the provisions of this Circular during the organization of international conferences and seminars.

3.4. In case of complex developments during international conferences and seminars, immediately report to the competent authority that approved the organization of such events for guidance and prompt handling.

3.5. Be responsible for processing entry-exit visas for foreign guests attending international conferences and seminars according to the regulations of the Exit-Entry Administration Department under the Ministry of Public Security. Units under the Ministry applying for entry-exit visas for guests must go through the Ministry of Health (International Cooperation Department).

3.6. Develop specific plans to coordinate with relevant agencies to ensure the security of conferences and seminars.

3.7. Adhere to legal provisions regarding financial expenditures and settlement.

4. Reporting Provisions

4.1. Within one month after the conclusion of international conferences and seminars, units organizing such events must submit a summary report on the outcomes of the conferences and seminars (including proceedings and materials from the conferences and seminars) to the Ministry of Health (Planning and Investment Department and International Cooperation Department) and simultaneously send it to the Government Organizational Cadre Management Board (attached form).

4.2. Units organizing conferences and seminars have the responsibility to report annually on the management and results of international conferences and seminars to the Ministry of Health so that the Ministry can compile and report to the Government Organizational Cadre Management Board as stipulated (attached form).

III. IMPLEMENTATION PROVISIONS:

1. This Circular takes effect fifteen days from the date of issuance and replaces the provisions on the organization and management of international conferences and seminars within the country set forth in Circular No. 5258/TCCB dated July 25, 1994, of the Ministry of Health.

2. Organizations and individuals violating the provisions of this Circular shall be subject to legal sanctions depending on the severity of the violation.

3. The International Cooperation Department shall coordinate with the Organization and Cadre Department and the Legal Affairs Department to implement, monitor, and evaluate the implementation of this Circular and report the results to the Minister of Health.

4. During implementation, if there are difficulties, units under the Ministry and local health departments should promptly reflect them to the Ministry of Health for study and resolution.