Vietnam's 'Strengthening the Capacities of the National Assembly and Provincial People' Councils in Examination, Decision and Oversight of State Budget' project was designed to develop the National Assembly's capacity to oversee the budget process.
Donors such as UNDP, DFID, CIDA and the EU have aligned their aid programmes, contributing approximately $3million.
The project's general purpose is to strengthen the budget process and develop the budget oversight capacities for the National Assembly via the Committee for Economic and Budgetary Affairs and for 11 selected Provincial People's Councils.
Crown Agents conducted a mid-term evaluation of the government's budget oversight project. This evaluation covered:
- The relevance of the project to the national reform agenda (including implications of Vietnam's accession to WTO in January 2007 and implications of the recent institutional reforms held in public finance)
- The activities undertaken and their impact on the national reform agenda
- The quality and timeliness of project inputs and project management
- Lessons learned from the first three years of implementation
We also assessed the degree of commitment to the project, especially by the beneficiaries, and the likelihood of the project achieving its goals. Crown Agents recommended changes to project design and implementation to ensure successful completion, and proposed an action plan for the remainder of the project life.