Background and goals:

Vietnamese NGOs and community-based organizations came into existence in the 1990s, following the doi moi (reform) introduced by the Party Congress in 1986, and have grown significantly since then. The 1998 Grassroots Democracy Decree provided space for more active participation in decision making at the commune and village levels. Yet despite these reforms, Transparency International’s 2006 National Integrity System (NIS) study shows that Vietnam is still characterized by low levels of government accountability. This is particularly pronounced in the environmental sector where the “grow now, clean up later” approach to development is deeply rooted, with serious consequences, particularly for poor communities that are most exposed to water and air pollution.

The goal of this project is to improve environmental conditions in Vietnam by improving the quality of environmental governance through an integrated package of activities that include: (1) raising high-level political awareness of the need to expand the participation of local NGOs in environmental reporting and monitoring; (2) improving the quality and quantity of environmental reporting and analysis; and (3) building the capacity of local environmental NGOs.

Partners:

  • Vietnam Institute of Human Rights (VIHR), Hochiminh National Acedamy of Politics and Public Administration
  • Center for Environmental Training and Communication (CETAC), Vietnam Environment Administration (VEA), Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MONRE)
  • Local environmental NGOs such as Pannature, CODE, WARECOD, ECO-ECO, CECR, ENV,..

Geographic coverage:

  • Vietnam

Duration:

  • October 2010 - October 2012

Donor:

  • United Nations Democratic Fund (UNDEF)

Activities: