THE SIGNING CEREMONY
OF THE BEYOND WTO PROGRAM
Speech by
Australian Ambassador, H.E Mr Bill Tweddell
24 January, 2007 – Hanoi
- H.E Mr. Doan Manh Giao Minister, Chairman of Office of Government of Vietnam
- H.E Mr. Nguyen Quoc Huy Vice Minister, Vice Chairman of Office of Government
- H.E Mr. Tran Xuan Ha Vice Minister of Finance
Distinguished guests, Ladies and Gentlemen
Together with the rest of the international community, Australia was delighted to welcome Vietnam’s formal accession to the WTO a fortnight ago.
This was the culmination of a decade of intense analysis, debate, planning, preparation and negotiation, and, more broadly, a defining moment in the evolution of Doi Moi.
Of course, no-one knows this better than many of those in this room today!
But as government officials and policy makers, we also know that the end of one journey is the start of another. And with WTO accession behind us, Vietnam faces an even more challenging and complex task in implementation.
How Vietnam manages this next phase will be critical to its success.
International integration has been one of the main drivers and shapers of change in Vietnam’s economy and society over the past twenty years.
Seen in this way, integration is not just a trade issue but a development issue.
It demands a new way of thinking and new ways of working. It challenges us all to think and act across traditional sectoral and institutional lines - from policy development to implementation to monitoring and evaluation. And it demands strong mechanisms for coordination and communication.
(Which places the Office of Government, as the central coordinating body for Government, in the hot seat!)
Such new thinking and new actions are important to ensure that policies evolve as needs and conditions evolve.
• They are invaluable in ensuring Vietnam benefits in every way possible from accession.
• They are critical to ensuring there is adequate support to vulnerable groups through this transition.
• And they are necessary to ensure the broad-based participation of business and civil society.
I am therefore very pleased to be here today to put Australia’s signature on the “Beyond WTO” program of Technical Assistance.
This is an initiative by Vietnam, for Vietnam”.
At its core, it will assist the Government to develop and implement a comprehensive, Medium-Term Action Plan for Integration.
This will be backed by a multi-donor trust fund to support national and international technical assistance, training and communication. In this way, the Program aims to enhance Vietnam’s ability to manage its integration into the global economy and maximise the broad-based benefits for society.
The agenda is ambitious and the needs and appetite of Vietnamese stakeholders vast. To ensure the Program’s success, two factors will be critical:
• the quality and credibility of the Government’s Action Plan,
• and the effectiveness of the institutional arrangements set up by Government to oversee its implementation.
As partners in this process, we encourage the international community to align its programs behind this framework. And, for those who can do so, we welcome your contributions to the Multi-Donor Trust Fund.
Finally, I wish the Program a smooth start and success, and to everyone involved: good health, good luck in 2007 and a Happy Tet!