Social News 3/12 Aging population needs better care   Vietnam should make proper preparations to take better care of the aging population that has been swelling up fast in recent years, according to health officials. At the launch of the National Action Month on Population and celebrating the Vietnam Population Day (December 26) in Thai Binh province on December 2, Deputy Health Minister Nguyen Viet Tien emphasised the high life expectancy is an achievement of the healthcare sector and the result of social-economic development in many aspects, not a burden to society or economy. Tien called on the whole society to commit to ensuring the healthy and happy life for the elderly and encourage them to take meaningful participation in society to take advantage of their rich real-life experience and knowledge. He stressed the necessity to integrate the aging population and the elderly’ s needs into all national development programmes and policies, especially those on social security, diversify and improve the quality of healthcare services for the elderly, encourage and help them make contributions with their own conditions. Ngo Trong Vinh, Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Association of the Elderly, said Vietnam needs to have a strategy and a comprehensive solution to promptly resolve emerging problems when Vietnam becomes an aging country. In Vietnam, 23.5 percent of the elderly is poor, around 100,000 elderly people are living alone, and a large number of the elderly is disabled. Vietnam is one of the countries with the fastest aging population growth in the world and it takes the country a shorter time to shift from a country of aging population to the one of old population than developed countries. The National Action Month has the theme of “Community joins hands to take care of the elderly”. Vietnam, UNESCO to bolster cooperation The Prime Minister recently approved a draft Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Vietnam and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) for the 2016-2020 period. The MoU will create momentum to foster cooperation between the two sides across the fields of education, natural and social science, culture, information and media. UNESCO will help Vietnam to renovate and fine-tune Vietnam’s education and training, prepare human resources for sustainable development during global integration and improve science and technology policies through international collaboration. The two sides will also work together to ensure a balance between natural and cultural preservation and economic development at world heritage sites. Integrating culture with development policies and strategies at all levels and enhancing information about Vietnam and the world are also included in the cooperation framework. The MoU signing ceremony will be held in Paris during the Prime Minister’s visit to UNESCO headquarters. An earlier MoU was inked and carried out by both sides during the 2010-2015 period.- Meeting responds to Int’l Day of Persons with Disabilities A meeting and an exchange celebrating International Day of Persons with Disabilities (December 3) took place in Hanoi on December 2 at the initiative of the Hanoi Disabled People’s Association. Addressing the meeting, Deputy Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Nguyen Trong Dam highlighted the Party and State support to the disabled, including fine-tuning laws and policies, and offering them educational, vocational training and job opportunities. At the same time, he admitted that more than 60 percent of those living with disabilities in rural areas currently lack access to education, infrastructure and health care. Dam took the occasion to call for community help to ensure the enforcement of the rights of the disabled in Vietnam, towards achieving the goals set in the government’s action plan for the disabled for 2016-2020 and the 2013-2022 Incheon Strategy “Make the Right Real” for Persons with Disabilities in Asia and the Pacific. People with disabilities account for 8 percent of Vietnam’s population. They still meet difficulties in equal access to transport, employment, education and socio-political involvement. Nguyen Huu Thanh, Vice Chairman of the Hoan Kiem district Disabled People Association, said improving the position of the disabled will help strengthen their capacity and equip them with skills to seize livelihood opportunities. RoK, Southeast Asian nations seek sustainable energy technology Experts from the Republic of Korea (RoK) and a handful of Southeast Asian nations- Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar and Indonesia - shared experience in the Sustainable Energy Technology Training (SETT) programme in Ho Chi Minh City from November 30 to December 2. The Vietnamese Embassy in the RoK and the Vietnam Ministry of Science and Technology were key partners in supporting the SETT Programme . It was hosted by National Research Council of Science &Technology (NST), ASEM SMEs Eco-Innovation Centre (ASEIC), Korea Institute of Energy Research (KIER), Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute (KERI) and Korea Institute of Industrial Technology (KITECH). It aimed to popularise the role and targets of the NST and other Korean energy research institutes for increasing developing nations’ capacity to manage and develop sustainable energy. Participants elaborated on the concept of sustainable energy, as well as tools, technologies and solutions for sustainable energy development. They will also propose projects with international development donors, aiming to promote sustainable energy technologies suitable to each Southeast Asian nation. Dr. Song Chaejun, NST director for R&D policy and strategy, said that in recent decades, reserve sources of energy were expected to be exhausted as a result of the world’s rapid economic development. Against this backdrop, businesses worldwide are seeking new sources of renewable energy, he said. Dr. Song also pointed to adverse impacts on the environment caused by the burning of fossil fuels. They created greenhouse gases, and increased radiation capacity and global warming. Therefore, he said, renewable energy would help deal with the world’s increasing demand for energy. Vu Van Khiem from the Vietnam Ministry of Science and Technology said that with its current energy consumption, Vietnam will become an energy importer in the future. He stressed the need to cut the use of scarce natural resources in order to address the issue. Hanoi hosts Information Security Day The annual "Vietnam Information Security Day" took place in Hanoi on December 1, focusing on solutions to increasing cyber-attacks aimed at large corporations worldwide. This year's event is organised by the Vietnam Information Security Association (VNISA), the Information Security Department under the Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC), the Information and Technology Department under the Ministry of Education and Training and the MIC's Vietnam Computer Emergency Response Team (VNCERT). MIC Deputy Minister Nguyen Thanh Hung stressed that thedevelopment of new technological trends such as cloud computing, social network, and mobile communications not only creates great opportunities for users but also increases risks of information insecurity and cybercrime. Meanwhile, many agencies and organisations of Vietnam have not yet paid due attention to applying measures to ensure information safety. The country’s legal system, national standards in the field remain insufficient for application of management and technical measures, which have been used widely in other countries. Apart from ineffective coordination between forces to fight and tackleinformation insecurity incidents, Vietnam islisted among countries with the high rate of malware and malicious code infections, which cause huge damage and pose risks to Vietnam in the futureas well as greatly influencethe country’s image and reliability in the digital world. Dr. Vu QuocThanh, VNISA General Secretary, said Vietnam’s information security index stands at 46.4 percent, adding that the country aims to become a regional convergence of digital and national sovereignty on the traditional spaces by 2020. He underlined the need to outline strategies to safeguard digital sovereignty, and have a strategic partition on network space between the State and the private sector. At the workshop, themed "Serious destruction trend from modern network attacks'', leading IT corporations, including Google, Microsoft and IBM shared their experience, solutions and tools to ensure information security. An exhibition showcasing advanced security products and technologies of world leading firms was organised on the sidelines of the workshop. Japan grants scholarships to Hue students The Japan Business Association in Vietnam (JBAV) and the Japan Economic Association (JEA) presented scholarships to 24 needy students in the central city of Hue on December 2. The scholarships, each worth 200 USD, came to the University of Hue’s students with outstanding academic performance. This is the 15th time since 2001 the Japanese organisations have granted scholarships to Vietnamese students as part of their Keidanren scholarship fund. Addressing the event, a representative from the JBAV hoped the gifts will help students better their study and then have more occupation opportunities in the future. The grant is expected to contribute to strengthening solidarity between the two countries and their people, he said. Some Japanese businesses and individuals in Hue city have raised funds to build a friendship stele between Japan’s Fukuroi city and Hue to commemorate the Dong Du movement. The stele is placed at Phan Boi Chau relic site in the city. PM approves resettlement, road plans The Prime Minister has approved two road construction projects, and has granted more than 629 billion VND (27 million USD) for the resettlement process under the Son La Hydropower Plant Project. One of the two roads to be built will connect the districts of Muong Lay and Nam Nhun in the northern Dien Bien province. The other construction work will upgrade the northern Son La province's provincial highway 107 that links Chieng Pac commune and Phieng Lanh town. The road projects are expected to improve transport links in resettlement areas of people who gave up their homes voluntarily for the construction of the Son La Hydro Power Plant, the largest project in Southeast Asia. The plant became operational on December 23, 2012, after seven years of construction, and three years earlier than scheduled. With a total investment of 60 trillion VND (approximately 2.85 billion USD), the 2,400MW Son La Hydropower Plant has six generators. Every year, it will create a turnover of 500 million USD and save more than five million tonnes of coal, needed to produce an equivalent amount of electricity. Moreover, the plant will supply on average 10.2 billion kWh a year to the national grid. About 20,340 ethnic households in Dien Bien, Son La and Lai Chau provinces voluntarily moved to other areas, giving up their land for the construction of the plant. Under the resettlement project approved by Prime Minister in 2013, there are 78 resettlement areas. As of last August, more than 40,000 affected households and 232 organisations were given a total of 7 trillion VND (311 million USD) as compensation. The newly approved 629-billion VND fund is expected to fill the funding shortage so that the resettlement project can be completed by the end of this year.- Vietnam, NCA cooperate in environment protection The Norwegian Church Aid will continue working closely with the Vietnam Fatherland Front, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment as well as religions in protecting the environment and responding to climate change response. Norwegian Church Aid (NCA) General Secretary Anne Marie Helland made the pledge at her meeting with Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) President Nguyen Thien Nhan in central Thua Thien-Hue province on December 1. The NCA General Secretary is attending a national workshop on environment protection and climate change response, which is to open in the province on December 2. She hailed Vietnam’s initiatives on involving all religions in the environment protection and climate change response. The VFF President told the NCA official that Vietnam has implemented a number of comprehensive measures to adapt to climate change. He highlighted the effective cooperation with NCA in social activities, especially in the environment protection and climate change response. Nhan said the NCA General Secretary’s participation in the workshop is significant as it came at a time with the ongoing 21st Conference of the Parties (COP) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Paris. The NCA, a non-governmental organisation also known as the Nordic Assistance to Vietnam (NAV), has contributed effectively to improving public health and gender equality as well as helped vulnerable Vietnamese respond to climate change during its 20-year operation in the country. NAV funds about 1.2 million USD for Vietnam each year through its projects and programmes. It has effectively carried out a programme on HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment at 17 prisons in 12 provinces and worked with the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee to help promote the involvement of religions and religious organisations in the fight. The organisation has also coordinated with social and religious organisations in climate change adaptation and social affairs. Asia-Pacific workshop on Francophone research The development of scientific research on French language and culture in Southeast Asia and the role of Francophone in Asia-Pacific universities were highlighted at a workshop opened in the central city of Hue on December 1. Jointly organised by the French Embassy in Vietnam, the Asia-Pacific French-Speaking Regional Centre (CREFAP), and the Hue University’s College of Foreign Languages, the event drew professors, experts, and lecturers from France, Cambodia, Thailand, India, Greece and Vietnam. Participants discussed the connectivity between French-speaking schools in Southeast Asia and other regions in the world, as well as policies to boost scientific research and improve teaching capacity. They also sought measures to embrace links between internal members such as holding annual conferences for Asia-Pacific senior officials; promoting tertiary assistance projects; increasing experience sharing; and enabling students to improve French skills. The workshop creates an opportunity for young researchers to get involved in the regional scientific research community and increase connectivity in the field. It also concerns about the development of the teaching staff who could design appropriate training courses to meet the demand for high-quality human resources. The workshop will run until December 4. Da Nang contains HIV/AIDS infections below 0.15 percent The central city of Da Nang has maintained HIV/AIDS infections in the community under 0.15 percent, heard a ceremony on December 1. The event was held in response to the National Action Month for HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control, which runs from November 10 to December 10 annually, and the World AIDS Day (December 1). Deputy Director of the municipal Department of Health Nguyen Ut attributed the achievement to local authorities’ ramping up of inter-sectoral coordination, assistance to and treatment of HIV carriers, and expansion of cooperation with foreign partners in HIV/AIDS prevention. Da Nang has found 120 new HIV cases a year, about 50 – 70 of which are local residents. By the end of October 2015, the city recorded 1,885 HIV cases, including 824 AIDS patients. The official also admitted that more than 70 percent of the infected people age between 20 and 39 years whose infections have been diagnosed late. Meanwhile, sexual transmission is the cause of over 90 percent of the newly found cases, leading to an increase in the number of HIV-infected women and the risk of mother-to-child transmission of HIV, he added. Ut said Da Nang will step up communication activities to change people’s behaviors and fight their discrimination against HIV patients. The city will do more to raise the infected people’s awareness of early HIV testing and counselling, antiretroviral therapy, and health insurance. Quality services will also be provided to ensure the community’s access to related preventive measures, treatment and supports. Following the ceremony, about 1,000 participants, including young people, officials, medical workers and residents, joined a parade through the city’s main streets to popularise HIV/AIDS prevention and control messages. The United Nations’ 90-90-90 Plan aims at: 90 percent of people living with HIV will know their HIV status, 90 percent of all people with diagnosed HIV infection will receive sustained antiretroviral therapy, and 90 percent of all people receiving the therapy will have viral suppression by 2020. Vietnam is stepping up efforts towards the 90-90-90 target to end the HIV/AIDS epidemic by 2030. Viglacera receives British Council award The Vietnam Glass and Ceramics for Construction Corporation (Viglacera) is the only Vietnamese enterprise to have been granted the "International Skills Partnership of the Year" award. The award was presented at the annual International Conference on Skills Development "Bringing the Learning Home 2015," organised by the British Council in Birmingham, UK, on November 17, 2015. Competing against a diverse range of very successful skilled projects from 25 countries, the project between Viglacera and Proskills UK found its way to the elite shortlist. "Bringing the Learning Home" is the British Council's annual conference on building its international partnerships in the field of industrial skills development. The award proved the efficacy of Viglacera's development strategy in training and development for sustainable human resource development. 2015 was a remarkable year for the strong development of Viglacera, especially in terms of international integration in all aspects of business, from manufacturing to research and training. There will be a change in Vigalcera's outstanding quality with the introduction of an elite expert advanced production technology team, making it ready to compete in the world market. Proskills is an organisation that has worked in many different industrial sectors in the United Kingdom and is certified by the UK government. It has experience in the development of standards, training and skills development based on the specific environment of the business in order to raise the standard of human resources, work productivity and the quality of the products. Vietnam reviews 17 years of EC’s disaster risk management programme The European Commission (EC)’s Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection department (ECHO) has provided 13.2 million EUR, or 14 million USD, for 41 disaster preparedness and risk reduction projects in Vietnam over the past 17 years. It was heard at a conference to review the 17-year implementation of the ECHO-funded Disaster Preparedness Programme (DIPECHO) oganised by the Vietnam Red Cross (VNRC) in Hanoi on December 1. The projects were carried out by the European Union, international non-governmental organisations (NGOs), Red Cross societies and the United Nations Development Programme in 26 cities and provinces throughout the country. They have to date benefited 6.4 million people by improving the practice of disaster risk reduction (DRR) as well as public awareness of DRR actions. At the conference, attendees spoke highly of the outcomes of the DIPECHO during the last 17 years, hoping that the ECHO and other development partners of Vietnam will continue to work closely with the VNRC towards the building of a community-based network for disaster risk management involving local Red Cross workers, militia and volunteers. As a partner of the ECHO, the VNRC has developed the procedure for vulnerability assessment in disaster-prone areas. It was approved by the Government and has been used as a tool to implement the national programme on raising community awareness and community-based disaster risk management or Programme 1002. Japan-funded project improves disaster risk reduction awareness Awareness of disaster risk reduction (DRR) among students and their parents in disaster-plagued areas in central Quang Nam province has been significantly improved. It was heard at a workshop to review the outcomes of the “Capacity building for DRR at schools and communities in the coastal areas of Quang Nam province” project in Tam Ky city on December 1. Funded by Japan-based SEEDS Asia, the project was carried out by the provincial Departments of Education and Training and Agriculture and Rural Development. Over the past two years, it organised DRR classes for approximately 13,400 students and teachers from 219 primary and secondary schools in six coastal districts and cities – Tam Ky, Hoi An, Dien Ban, Duy Xuyen, Thang Binh and Nui Thanh. The classes taught the students types of disasters, ways for disaster preparedness and response, fire prevention and control, first aid practice, among others. In addition, painting contests and plays on DRR were organised for the students to learn better about the issue. The project also held a workshop on experience sharing in DRR education between Quang Nam and eight other central city and provinces. The provincial Department of Education and Training plans to integrate DRR education into curriculum for local primary and secondary students in the 2015-2016 school year. Vietnam is one of the five countries most affected by climate change – especially rising sea levels. Each year, the country is hit by between five to seven storms and floods, which seriously impact 50 percent of land and 70 percent of the population. The country i s working to integrate disaster risk management and climate change response in plans for urban development and land use, boosting the capacity of the disaster forecast and alert system and strengthening measures to effectively cope with natural disasters and climate change. Vietnam, China hold workshop on UN peacekeeping Cooperation in the UN peacekeeping has become a significant part in the collaborative ties between Vietnam and China’s national defence ministries and armies, heard a workshop in Hanoi on December 1. Lieut. Gen. Vo Van Tuan, Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People’s Army underlined the growing collaboration between the two countries from politics, economics and culture to defence and security in line with the bilateral comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership. In 2015, the two defence ministers have convened their meetings for three times to hold talks and sign important documents, including the collaboration agreement on the UN peacekeeping activities, he said. He appreciated China sending its experts to Vietnam to share know-how and increase partnership in the field. The official proposed the Vietnam Peacekeeping Centre and the Chinese Ministry of National Defence’s Peacekeeping Office jointly organise more symposiums and map out specific cooperation programmes, focusing on training and experience exchanges. He suggested the Vietnamese and Chinese permanent delegations to the UN forge ahead with coordination to implement peacekeeping activities. Chinese Ambassador to Vietnam Hong Xiaoyong cited that the two defence ministers signed a Memorandum of Understanding on peacekeeping cooperation in April 2015, which opened up a new collaborative field between the two armies. The workshop means to actualise cooperation contents in the document, he said, expressing his belief that the bilateral exchanges in the realm will be further expanded and become a spotlight in the traditional friendship between the two countries’ states and armies. Since its inception in May 2014, the Vietnam Peacekeeping Centre has dispatched seven officers to the UN missions in South Sudan and the Central African Republic . The country is preparing to deploy the second-level field hospital and a company of engineers to engage in peacekeeping missions when required.- Ukrainian citizen honoured with friendship insignia Nicolai Mephodievich Gavrilenko , a member of the Ukraine-Vietnam Association’s executive board, has been honoured with Vietnam’s friendship insignia for his contributions to the two countries’ relations. At the awarding ceremony on November 30, Ambassador to Ukraine Nguyen Minh Tri spoke highly of Gavrilenko’s contributions to enhancing the two countries’ solidarity and friendship in the fields of the economy, trade, investment, culture, education and sports. Tri expressed his hope that Gavrilenko and the Ukraine-Vietnam Association will continue contributing to strengthening the friendship and multi-faceted cooperation between the two countries. In return, Gavrilenko, who was former Chairman of the Ukraine-Vietnam Friendship Association (1987-99 term) and former Geology Minister, expressed his honour to receive the decoration, and pledged to do his utmost to cement and promote the special bond between Vietnam and Ukraine. On the occasion, a cooperation agreement was signed between representatives of the Vietnamese Embassy in Ukraine and a school named after late President Ho Chi Minh in Kiev. The embassy will work closely with the school in an attempt to strengthen collaboration in culture and education between the school and several Vietnamese schools. The two sides will promote teaching Vietnamese language for the school’s students and Ukrainian language for the Vietnamese community in Kiev as well as increase local understanding of Vietnam, its people and Ho Chi Minh. President urges historians to finish national project President Truong Tan Sang has urged the Vietnam Association of Historical Sciences (VAHS) to mobilise all capacity to complete the National Annals of History as soon as possible. The president made his request while making a speech at a VASH conference held in Hanoi on November 30 after listening to a report on the association's operation from 2010 to 2015. He pointed out five key tasks for the association including the mobilisation of all capacity to complete the National Annuls of History with the best quality and encouraged all of its member historical scientists to work as direct consultants on the national education reform by improving the role of history in universal education curriculum. The President spoke highly of the contribution made by the association through its members' study and research which had been considered as precious proof to affirm the national sovereignty of the East Sea, particularly in the Truong Sa (Spratly) and Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelagos. He said the Party and Government would create favourable conditions for the association to undertake their activities in the next period. The VAHS currently has a total of 6,000 members working in about 59 branches across the country including 33 at the provincial level and four in different sectors. With a major role to boost the development of Vietnamese history, the association held numerous workshops and conducted scientific projects on society and history. It has suggested a master project on researching and compiling the Vietnam National Annals of History and got approval from the Politburo. The annals, after being completed, is expected to set a milestone in the development of Vietnamese historical science. Vietnam, Japan enhance cooperation in trade unions The Vietnam General Confederation of Labour (VGCL) and the Japan National Confederation of Trade Unions (Zenroren) are strengthening cooperation, thus contributing to driving the relations between the two countries forward. President of the VGCL Dang Ngoc Tung and Zenroren Chairman Yohikazu Odagawa discussed cooperation orientation and potential between Vietnamese and Japanese trade unions during their talks in Hanoi on November 30. Tung said the two organisations have actively worked to protect the legitimate rights and interests of workers. He added that he hopes the two trade unions will further cooperative ties for information and experience exchanges as well as better protection of employees. This is significant in the context of globalisation, especially when the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement is implemented, he said. Yohikazu Odagawa expressed his belief that his visit to Vietnam will help tighten traditional friendship, solidarity and cooperation between the two trade unions, and thus reinforcing the Vietnam-Japan relations. He said he hopes trade unionists will increase professional exchanges and mutual support at regional and international forums. Hanoi accelerates construction of flood warning system The construction of a real-time flood warning system in Hanoi will quicken as technical cooperation between the National Hydro-Meteorological Service (NHMS) and the Danish Hydraulic Institute (DHI) progresses. Nguyen Kien Dung, Director of the Application Centre under the NHMS, said that through technical support from the DHI, data on terrain, river and drainage systems for eight inner-city districts has been collected and a high-resolution map of flood risks in eight districts was created. The DHI contributed to the establishment of the stable operation of real-time flood observation systems through five water-level observation stations in the lower reach of the Kim Nguu River, the building and piloting of early warning technology for the Kim Nguu River, and the training of NHMS employees. Poor heart patients in Mekong Delta to get free operation As many as 25 poor patients in the Mekong Delta region living with heart disease will receive free heart surgery under a programme funded by the Sponsoring Association for Poor Patients in the south-western region. According to the president of the association, Nguyen Phong Quang, the surgeries will cost a total of 1.36 billion VND (over 60,000 USD). The operations will be performed within the year by doctors from Hoan My Cuu Long General Hospital in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho, and supported by the world’s leading expert in open heart surgery, Professor B. Beahrel from France’s University Hospital Robert Debré. Quang, who is also deputy head of the Southwest Region Steering Committee, said screening examinations for people in the region showed that around 400 were suffering from heart-related diseases and needed operations. He urged enterprises and donors to continue providing financial assistance for regional heart patients. Apart from supporting heart disease patients, the association provided financial aid to build houses, and issue free check-ups and treatment for about 1,000 people at a total expense of about 5 billion VND (over 222,000 USD). Argentine newspaper spotlights Con Dao Islands The Con Dao Islands were featured in Clarin – Argentina’s newspaper – as a compelling destination in Vietnam, despite their dark days in the past. According to the article, lying in the southeast waters, Con Dao is striving to develop tourism, capitalising on unspoiled beaches, primeval forests and historical values. During past wars, eight prisons were built across 52km of Con Son Island – the biggest of the archipelago. The cells were closed in 1975 when the resistance two wars against French and American forces ended, before opening to the public as a museum on war crimes in the 1990s. Between 1862 and 1975, 200,000 Vietnamese, mainly patriots, were imprisoned and tortured, and around 20,000 of them died. The once horrific place is now peaceful and welcomes some 50,000 tourists every year. Vietnam attends Asian ombudsman conference in Pakistan Vietnamese Ambassador to Pakistan Nguyen Xuan Luu attended the 14th conference of the Asian Ombudsman Association (AOA) that took place in Islamabad capital city on November 24-25. Discussions focused on challenges facing ombudsman agencies and their role in combating corruption and improving governance efficiency. Pakistani Federal Ombudsman Salman Farooqi was elected as AOA President while Azerbaijani Commissioner for Human Rights Elmira Suleymanova became Vice President. Connie Lau from Hong Kong will take the role of Secretary and Sungbo Lee, Chairman of the Anti-corruption and Civil Rights Commission of the Republic of Korea, will be in charge of financial affairs. China, Japan, Indonesia, Macao (China) and Tatarstan were elected as members of the directors’ board. Initiated by China and Pakistan in 1996, AOA is a regional body for promoting the principles and practices of ombudsmanship. The Vietnam Government Inspectorate officially joined the AOA in 1997. AOA’s conferences are held biennially in its members.- JICA backs rural development in Yen Bai province The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) will build pilot models on rural development with the application of modern science and technology in the northern mountainous province of Yen Bai through its assistance resources. This was the outcome of a five-day fact-fining tour to the province by a JICA delegation. It collected data on the local natural environment, socio-economic conditions, infrastructure development, agriculture productivity and budget. Representatives from the Japanese agency had a working session with provincial leaders on November 30 to discuss bilateral cooperation in building the rural development projects in the northern mountainous region. JICA proposed that local authorities disseminate handbooks on State management development and agricultural encouragement in order to develop farming and forestry. Meanwhile, the province’s leaders asked the agency to cooperate with the locality in various fields such as transport, electricity and agricultural infrastructure. The locality said it will create all possible conditions for the two sides to implement the project as soon as possible. Vietnam, NCA cooperate in environment protection The Norwegian Church Aid will continue working closely with the Vietnam Fatherland Front, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment as well as religions in protecting the environment and responding to climate change response. Norwegian Church Aid (NCA) General Secretary Anne Marie Helland made the pledge at her meeting with Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) President Nguyen Thien Nhan in central Thua Thien-Hue province on December 1. The NCA General Secretary is attending a national workshop on environment protection and climate change response, which is to open in the province on December 2. She hailed Vietnam’s initiatives on involving all religions in the environment protection and climate change response. The VFF President told the NCA official that Vietnam has implemented a number of comprehensive measures to adapt to climate change. He highlighted the effective cooperation with NCA in social activities, especially in the environment protection and climate change response. Nhan said the NCA General Secretary’s participation in the workshop is significant as it came at a time with the ongoing 21st Conference of the Parties (COP) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Paris. The NCA, a non-governmental organisation also known as the Nordic Assistance to Vietnam (NAV), has contributed effectively to improving public health and gender equality as well as helped vulnerable Vietnamese respond to climate change during its 20-year operation in the country. NAV funds about 1.2 million USD for Vietnam each year through its projects and programmes. It has effectively carried out a programme on HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment at 17 prisons in 12 provinces and worked with the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee to help promote the involvement of religions and religious organisations in the fight. The organisation has also coordinated with social and religious organisations in climate change adaptation and social affairs. AMD project in Tra Vinh, Ben Tre promotes livelihood models As many as 13 non-agricultural livelihood models will be carried out in the southern provinces of Tra Vinh and Ben Tre to adapt to climate change under the “Adaptation in the Mekong Delta” (AMD) project funded by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). The information was given by the project’s coordination board and the provincial Department of Industry and Trade on December 1. The selected models will focus on recycling plastic and other materials, and producing food and handicrafts. Organisations and individuals joining the models will be considered to receive financial assistance from the climate change adaptation co-sponsoring fund (CCA) and the Private-Public Partnership (PPP) fund under IFAD for their cooperation, said the AMD project’s coordination board director, Huynh Nghia Tho. Units or individuals financed by CCA will be given non-refundable aid equivalent to 50 percent of the total cost of their production and business plans, and those supported by the PPP will get maximum assistance of 49 percent of their total investment in a project. The AMD programme in Ben Tre and Tra Vinh is being implemented in 30 communes in each province between 2014 and 2020, benefiting around 15,000 poor and near-poor households. The total budget is 521 billion VND (23.1 million USD), including a 233.5 billion VND (around 10.3 million USD) loan from IFAD, a 126.5 billion VND (over 5.6 million USD) non-refundable grant from IFAD, 79.5 billion VND (over 3.5 million USD) from the State budget and 81.5 billion VND (3.6 million USD) from beneficiaries. Its main objective is to develop sustainable livelihoods for the rural poor in the face of a changing climate and to enhance the target communities’ capacities to adapt to climate change. E5 bio-fuel sold nationwide The environmentally-friendly E5 petrol is sold across the country from December 1, in accordance with the Prime Minister’s Decision No 53/2012/QD-TTg. The E5 grade bio-fuel, which has 5 percent ethanol and 95 percent petrol, is offered at a price which is 500 VND lower than that of RON 92. According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade's Science and Technology Department Vietnam has seven factories producing ethanol, of which four have ethanol meeting quality standards to process E5 petrol. The four factories have a total capacity at 318,000 tonnes of ethanol to process 4.78 million tonnes of E5 petrol. Meanwhile, three other factories need more investment to produce ethanol that reaches quality standards to process bio-fuel. So far this year, E5 petrol has been sold at seven cities and provinces, including Hanoi, Da Nang, Can Tho, and HCM City, in addition to Quang Nam, Quang Ngai and Ba Ria Vung Tau. The nation has three E5 petrol processors, including the Vietnam National Oil and Gas Group (PetroVietnam), the Vietnam National Petroleum Group (Petrolimex) and PetroVietnam Oil Corporation (PV Oil). Petrolimex plans to expand the retail system of E5 fuel at all its petrol stations nationwide. Meanwhile, PetroVietnam has 359 E5 petrol retail stations in 52 cities and provinces nationwide. The group has processed a total output of 80,000 cubic metres of E5 petrol per year, which is enough supply for its distribution system. By the end of this year, PetroVietnam's petrol stations in eight cities and provinces will sell only E5 petrol. It will sell bio fuel products at around 90 percent of its petrol stations in the remaining cities and provinces by the end of 2016.- Jetstar Pacific offers cheap flights for online shopping day Low-cost airline Jetstar Pacific will offer 4,000 tickets at just 12,000 VND (0.5 USD) per leg on it s website on December 4, which is Vietnam online shopping day. This is one of several promotion campaigns of the airline in response to the Online Friday 2015 drive co-organised by the Ministry of Industry and Trade’s E-Commerce and Information Technology Department and the Vietnam E-Commerce Association. The campaign is scheduled to run throughout December 4 at http://onlinefriday.vn/ and continue to December 6 at www.jetstar.com. The tickets will be applied for 10 domestic routes - including Thanh Hoa-Buon Ma Thuat, Hanoi-Tuy Hoa, and Vinh-Nha Trang, and four international routes – Hanoi-Bangkok, Hanoi-Hong Kong, Ho Chi Minh City-Bangkok, and HCM City-Singapore. Meanwhile, tickets priced at between 190,000 VND (8.4 USD) and 299,000 VND (13.3 USD) will be sold for seven other domestic routes. The Da Nang-Singapore route will cost 599,000 VND (26.6 USD). Further information can be found at www.jetstar.com and www.onlinefriday.com, or by contacting the hotline 1900 1550. Jetstar Pacific – the first budget carrier in Vietnam – is a member of Jetstar Group, one of the leading airlines in Asia-the Pacific. Currently, the airline is operating 25 domestic and international routes. VNA/VNS/VOV/SGT/SGGP/TT/TN/Dantri