Official meeting between Ho Chi Minh City Chairman Phan Van Mai and Secretary General of the Asian Productivity Organization (APO) Indra Pradana Singawinata

Post date: Wednesday, Dec 13, 2023 | 19:55 - View count: 351

On the morning of December 13, 2023, at the headquarters of the People’s Committee of Ho Chi Minh City, the official meeting between Chairman of the City People’s Committee Phan Van Mai and the working delegation of the Secretary General of the Asian Productivity Organization (APO), Dr. Indra Pradana Singawinata took place to discuss supporting the City in improving institutions, training human resources, implementing specific projects on reforming administrative procedures, and promoting international cooperation in the field of productivity.

In addition, the meeting was also attended by the delegation of the Directorate for Standards, Metrology and Quality (STAMEQ) led by Acting Director General Dr. Ha Minh Hiep. On the APO side, in addition to APO Secretary General Dr. Indra Pradana Singawinata, representatives of the APO Secretariat and world leading experts in the field of productivity and administrative procedure reforms are also present.

Regulation is an important tool used by Governments to achieve public policy objectives and ensure the well-being of their citizens. It is an important tool to protect health and safety, the environment as well as ensure the balanced and continuous development of the economy. Good regulations contribute significantly to the promotion of welfare and the smooth functioning of society.

As has been acknowledged by international organizations (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), World Bank), ASEAN and other countries, improving the quality of policies and regulations determination will be the main key to comprehensive growth. Effective regulations support growth, investment, innovation and the functioning of markets and society at large.

The World Bank Group’s 2017-2018 Global Investment Competitiveness Report, which surveyed 750 investors in developing and transition economies, found that in addition to “political stability and security, ”, “legal and regulatory environment” is the most important factor considered by senior executives when making investment decisions. In addition, the report also shows a positive relationship between improving the regulatory environment and total investment (and economic growth), which also demonstrates that countries will benefit from promoting widely the simplification of regulations and procedures affecting business operations.

Chairman of Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee Phan Van Mai welcomed the Secretary General to visit the city. Mr. Phan Van Mai emphasized the importance of raising awareness about GRP and especially training human resources to serve GRP work, guidance and training from leadership to lower levels. He requested APO’s support in developing support projects within the APO framework to improve the quality of the city’s regulations and policies to improve Ho Chi Minh City’s public productivity and construction civil service following the Singapore model.

Specifically, Mr. Phan Van Mai proposed to consider building cooperation content between APO – Ministry of Science and Technology (STAMEQ) – Ho Chi Minh City in December 2023 on institutional reform and improving regulatory quality. . Accordingly, the cooperation content is expected to focus on training activities for the city’s civil servants on GRP and reviewing regulations and policies.

The delegation will choose Phu Nhuan District as the place to survey the implementation of GRP to make the most appropriate and practical recommendations for upcoming cooperation activities with Ho Chi Minh City.

APO Secretary General Dr. Indra Pradana Singawinata thanked Chairman Phan Van Mai for welcoming the delegation. He emphasized the importance of the meeting today, especially after the meeting between Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and the Secretary General on April 26, 2023, Dr. Indra believes that this is a clear demonstration of the rapidly growing and strong strategic partnership between Vietnam and APO, appreciate the role of Vietnam and Ho Chi Minh City in the development of regional productivity in general.

Dr. Indra agreed with the Chairman of the HCM City People’s Committee Phan Van Mai about the importance of human resource development. The Secretary General emphasized Vietnam’s advantages as Vietnam is a very stable country both politically, economically and socially. The Secretary General shared the international experiences of APO member economies, emphasizing the binding relationship between human resource development and education, directly impacting the development of mindset and skills, the capacity of the young generation, improving productivity and thereby socio-economic development.

The meeting ended with a commitment to sustainable, long-term cooperation in the future between HCM City People’s Committee and Asian Productivity Organization (APO) on Good Regulatory Practices.