(VOVworld)- At the 11^th Anti- Corruption Dialogue in Hanoi on Thursday, Vietnamese and foreign delegates highlighted improvements in the fight against corruption in Vietnam. They agreed that anti-corruption work at the local level plays an important role in the country’s fight against corruption.

Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc addressed the dialogue on anti-corruption

At a dialogue themed “Anti Corruption at local level: Current Practices and Solutions”, international delegates praised Vietnam’s progress in combating corruption. The Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam has pledged to strengthen the fight against corruption and set up an Anti-Corruption Steering Committee headed by the Party General Secretary. The National Assembly adopted a revised Law on Anti-Corruption and discussed changes to the Law on Land, one of the central issues of corruption. In addition, the Government approved an Action Program on Anti Corruption and Waste in the 2012-2016 period. In localities nationwide, there were 270 corruption related cases, 287 individuals prosecuted and more than 24.5 million USD worth of assets reclaimed in 2012. Agencies have fully adhered to international agreements on anti corruption, have expanded multilateral and bilateral cooperation and have attended international events related to anti-corruption.

In the last 5 years, 63 cities and provinces in Vietnam have completed and publicized their administrative procedures. 678 heads and deputy heads of agencies have been accused of corruption related negligence. However, localities have largely been ineffective in preventing corruption. Addressing the 11^th dialogue on anti corruption, Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said the Vietnamese government is determined to combat corruption, especially corruption at local level. The Deputy Prime Minister asked localities to promote and replicate role models. "Corruption in land management, capital investment construction, public investment and State budget management is a burning issue in localities. While we have not developed promptly an anti-corruption mechanism, it’s important to promote role models in combating corruption. Relevant agencies and localities need to study these role models and draw the necessary lessons", said Phuc.

At the dialogue, delegates urged the whole political system to get involved in the fight against corruption to make it more effective. They said local authorities should be active in this fight. Renwick Irvine, a representative of the UK Department of International Development said the corruption watch-dog mechanism in Vietnam needs to be improved. He said: "The watch-dog mechanism that support the fight against corruption in Vietnam has not been effective. Recent developments in Vietnam show that the economy has grown rapidly but the oversight mechanism has not kept up with the growth. Therefore, it’s important to strengthen the role of private citizens and the public".

The delegates advised the Vietnamese government to carry out coordinated measures to improve the effectiveness of inspections, audit, investigations and prosecutions of corruption related cases and fine tune anti-corruption mechanisms and policies.

Thu Hoa- Cham Huyen