Vietnam seeks more aid despite rights criticism
HANOI - Vietnam Tuesday asked an annual gathering of donors to provide funds for its weak healthcare sector and to continue aid for basic infrastructure, even as some contributors questioned its human rights and disbursement record. Vietnam's medical facilities "are poorly equipped and not sufficient," Deputy Prime Minister Vu Khoan told several hundred representatives from multilateral agencies and governments at the start of the two-day meeting, its 11th such summit.
Hanoi said it hopes donors "will allocate sufficient resources to help us address this difficult issue," Khoan said, adding that the country also needed further support to build roads, bridges, power grids, water supply and irrigation systems. A sub-theme to this year's meeting is the battle against HIV/AIDS, which has been growing rapidly among Vietnam's youth.
Vietnam was promised $2.5 billion for 2003 and the World Bank -- which co-organizes the Consultative Group donors discussions -- said last week that next year's amount should be similar. Despite having the fastest growing economy in Asia after China -- averaging seven percent a year -- Vietnam still relies on foreign aid and low-interest loans and grants for development. About a third of its 80 million people live in poverty. While aid has not officially been linked with economic and social reforms, donors have been increasingly active in highlighting the communist country's human rights record during these high-profile meetings.
Little progress on rights
The European Union, which last year accounted for official development aid (ODA) disbursements of 311 million Euros or some 20 percent of all such payments to Vietnam, said it detected little progress in Hanoi's protection and promotion of human rights.
"The EU remains concerned about the human rights situation in Vietnam, notably civil and political rights, and the slow improvements in this field" since the last donors' meeting in December 2002, an EU statement said. Human Rights Watch issued a statement Tuesday urging international donors step up pressure on Vietnam to improve what it called a "dramatically worsening" record.
Several participants also asked Vietnam to improve transparency of information. The EU "urges that corruption issues be discussed openly at all levels," a speech by the Italian Ambassador Luigi Solari obtained by Reuters said.
The United States, which has criticized Hanoi on the punishment of "cyber dissidents" who use the Internet to spread their views, said in a statement it hoped Hanoi would increase access to information.
Another large donor, Japan, expressed worries about the slow pace of aid disbursement. The World Bank's Vietnam country director Klaus Rohland has said around $1.5 to $1.6 billion of the $2.5 billion for 2003 has been paid out. Japanese Ambassador Norio Hattori told reporters outside the closed-door meeting Tokyo viewed the delay in aid disbursement as a "major problem." The pace "is very, very slow," he said. Japan is the largest single provider of development assistance to Vietnam, and had pledged $757 million in loans and grants for 2003. It has financed the building of schools, hospitals and roads.
By Christina Toh-Pantin - Reuters - December 02, 2003
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