United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Fulbright University Vietnam (Fulbright) have recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to establish a framework of cooperation in areas of common interest. In accordance, Fulbright School of Public Policy and Management (FSPPM) will collaborate with UNDP to analyze and research economic policies. Together, the two parties will create a forum for scholars, business, Government, and civil society to discuss Vietnamese important economic policy directions and outcomes.
The memorandum also focuses on building capacity of Vietnamese academic institutions to actively participate in economic policy debates and to strengthen relationships among universities, Government, business and civil society. It is a shared belief that constructive dialogue with a wide range of stakeholders will increase public awareness and understanding of policy achievements and challenges, including those relevant to the realization of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Vietnam.
“These essential and seek-truth-from-fact discussions between the stakeholders – including policymakers, researchers, business, and civil society – about policies, have profound importance in Vietnam’s reform and development efforts,” Dr. Vu Thanh Tu Anh, Director of Fulbright School of Public Policy and Management, explicated.
The recently signed MOU between UNDP and Fulbright is the development from the collaborative foundation of the Vietnam Executive Leadership Program (VELP). During the period from 2008 to 2012, UNDP cooperated with Vietnamese Government, the Harvard Vietnam Program, and the Fulbright Economics Teaching Program (the predecessor of Fulbright School of Public Policy and Management) to provide policy dialog forums for Vietnamese senior executives. Accordingly, the delegates of high-ranking policymakers and executives, usually led by a deputy prime minister or a politburo member, can engage in the discourse with world-class experts deliberating the most significant global socio-economic trends and their implications to Vietnam. VELP was regarded to helping Vietnamese leaders enhance strategic vision and improve policy-making capacity.
“Fulbright has a wealth of experience and credibility from a comprehensive and ongoing process of policy and economic research in Vietnam since the late 1980s, especially through the Vietnam Executive Leadership Program (VELP). I believe that Vietnam’s leading scholars and economists at Fulbright will continue contributing to researches and analysis that are independent, objective, insightful, and constructive to forward-thinking policies, increase social awareness about the challenges and opportunities that Vietnam is facing ,” Ms. Dam Bich Thuy, President of Fulbright University Vietnam, remarked.
About the United Nations Development Programme in Vietnam
The Government of Vietnam – UNDP partnership officially started in 1978, when there was a very limited foreign presence in the country. Since then, UNDP has stood side-by-side with Viet Nam as it began its development trajectory from a poor nation devastated by war to a middle-income country championing poverty reduction and leading in growth.
UNDP’s role is changing in the context of Viet Nam as a MIC country and reflects the overall picture of a evolving partnership, characterized by declining grants and concessional loans. UNDP continues to work closely with partners towards inclusive and sustainable development in the context of industrial revolution 4.0, for a green, prosperous, resilient Vietnam and no one will be left behind.
More information at: https://www.vn.undp.org
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