DECISION

APPROVING THE SCHEME ON DEVELOPMENT OF CULTURAL AND INFORMATION ACTIVITIES IN THE MEKONG RIVER DELTA UP TO 2010

THE PRIME MINISTER

Pursuant to the December 25, 2001 Law on Organization of the Government;

Pursuant to the June 29, 2001 Law on Cultural Heritages;

At the proposal of the Minister of Culture and Information,

DECIDES:

Article 1.- To approve the Scheme on development of cultural and information activities in the Mekong River delta up to 2010, with the following principal contents:

1. The scheme's name: "Development of cultural and information activities in the Mekong River delta up to 2010."

2. The scheme's managers: The Ministry of Culture and Information and the People's Committees of Mekong River delta provinces.

3. Objectives of the scheme:

a/ To conserve, selectively inherit, preserve and promote traditional cultural values and typical cultural values, to gradually do away with obsolete and backward things; to build and develop new cultural and artistic values; to shape a civilized lifestyle and a new type of cultured families in the Mekong River delta.

b/ To unite and promote the aggregate strength of the whole nation, improve the cultural life in all economic, political and social activities; to help repel the peaceful evolution ploy of hostile forces, prevent and combat deceptive and distorting allegations, contributing to socio-economic stability and development;

c/ To discover and train ethnic minority people who are able to create literary and artistic works;

b/ To survey, collect, study and popularize cultural and artistic values; to conserve and promote traditional crafts of various ethnic groups in the Mekong River delta.

4. Contents of development of cultural and information activities in the Mekong River delta

a/ Stepping up and raising the quality of propagada work

- To step up propaganda about the Party's guidelines and the State's policies and law, political tasks and great anniversaries of the Party and the nation;

- To promote the operation efficiency of the mass media system;

- To organize a system for publishing and distributing books, newspapers and cultural publications in the whole region;

- To build itinerant communication teams and film projection teams strong and professional.

b/ Effectively organizing cultural and information activities in the Mekong River delta

To organize performances, contests, folk festivals, and cultural and sport festivals of ethnic groups; to step up the movement "All people unite to build a cultured life." To conserve and promote traditional cultural values of ethnic groups in the Mekong River delta so as to build a cultured life and raise their cultural enjoyment level and improve their spiritual life.

c/ Building a comprehensive system of cultural institutions from provincial to grassroots levels

- To plan land areas for building cultural and information institutions at each level;

- To build material foundations and supply technical equipment and facilities for the organization of cultural and information activities.

d/ Building up and developing grassroots cultural life

- To build cultured families, villages, hamlets and population centers and civilized, clean, beautiful and safe working offices;

- To collect, conserve and promote traditional cultural values of ethnic groups;

- To intensify professional cultural and sport events in service of local people; to organize cultural and sport exchanges within the region, between regions and ethnic groups;

- To develop and organize grassroots cultural and information activities.

e/ Working out plans on investment in material foundations for cultural and information activities

- To equip special-use vehicles or boats and adequate equipment to district-level itinerant communication teams;

- To provide financial support for the construction of commune-level cultural houses;

- To invest in the construction of some model cultural institutions in population clusters and lines in flooded areas, border communes and border-guard stations in border regions, islands and coastal areas.

- To supply equipment for cultural and information activities in southern Khmer pagodas.

e/ Building models of organization of cultural and information activities

- To organize surveys, study and symposiums to assess and appraise research works and good models;

- To organize preliminary and final reviews so as to assess, commend, draw experiences from and expand the application of good models;

- To improve the quality of the models of cultured families, villages, hamlets, population centers, working offices, schools and marketplaces; to continue studying, adding criteria for, and methods of, building models of cultured family quarters, eco-tourist resorts and communes.

f/ Enhancing inspection and examination of cultural and information activities

To consolidate specialized inspection teams, work out annual inspection plans; and to detect and promptly handle violations.

h/ Working out plans on budget expenditures for the realization of the scheme

To work out such plans in conformity with local revenue sources, local socio-economic development and action plans, at the same time, to make use of cultural development assistance funds and mobilize supports of various authorities and branches.

5. Solutions:

On the basis of the actual local conditions in each period, the following solutions shall be applied in a synchronous and effective manner:

a/ Enhancing the role and responsibility of local Party committees and administrations at all levels in the realization of the scheme;

b/ Renewing and enhancing coordination; unifying and raising the awareness and responsibility of the culture and information service as well as central and local authorities, departments, branches and associations involved in the realization of the scheme;

c/ Renewing and enhancing state management work of all local authorities and branches;

d/ Developing human resources for cultural and information activities

To strengthen the managing apparatus and personnel in charge of culture and information from provincial to grassroots levels; to provide political training to cadres; to prioritize the training of ethnic minority cadres; to give incentives to ethnic minority cadres working in ethnic minority regions, remote and deep-lying areas; to invest in, and compile teaching programs with practical contents for grassroots cadres and those working in ethnic minority areas.

e/ Further investing in material foundations and supplying equipment for cultural and information activities;

f/ Stepping up socialization of cultural and information activities in order to mobilize available potentials at the grassroots level, of branches and people so as to improve the peoples cultural and spiritual life;

g/ Renewing and accelerating information and communication work with a view to raising the awareness of all authorities, branches and people in the Mekong River delta in the process of realization of this scheme up to 2010;

h/ Properly organizing the work of preliminary and final reviews, and commendation work

- To promptly commend individuals and collectives that have recorded outstanding achievements. To adopt policies to encourage socialization of cultural activities;

- To strictly handle violations in organization and management of cultural activities.

6. The scheme's implementation duration: From 2006 to 2010

a/ Phase I: From 2006 to 2008;

b/ Phase II: From 2009 to 2010.

7. Capital sources:

a/ Central budget allocations apportioned within the state budget estimates allocated to the culture and information service (for capital construction, non-business activities and national target programs on culture);

b/ Targeted allocations from the state budget to some difficulty-hit localities;

c/ Local budgets;

d/ Contributions of the population;

e/ Contributions of socio-political organizations;

f/ Financial aids of foreign organizations and individuals.

Article 2.- Organization of implementation

1. The Ministry of Culture and Information shall assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with the Ministry of Planning and Investment and the Ministry of Finance in, working out plans on capital sources, formulating specific management mechanisms, and directing and guiding the realization of this scheme.

2. The Ministry of Finance shall assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with the Ministry of Planning and Investment and the Ministry of Culture and Information in, estimating funds to be allocated from the central budget for the realization of the scheme; guide localities in allocating funds and formulating management mechanisms so as to ensure the effective realization of the scheme.

3. Ministries, ministerial-level agencies, Government-attached agencies and other concerned agencies shall, within the scope of their functions and tasks, coordinate with the Ministry of Culture and Information in realizing this scheme.

4. The People's Committees of Mekong River delta provinces shall base themselves on the scheme and the guidance of the Ministry of Culture and Information to coordinate with concerned branches in formulating annual plans and allocating funds for the realization of the scheme; organize the realization of the scheme according to set objectives, criteria, tasks and solutions; guide and integrate this scheme into other socio-cultural schemes and national target programs on culture to be implemented in the 2006-2010 period.

Article 3.-

1. This Decision takes effect 15 days after its publication in "CONG BAO."

2. Ministers, heads of ministerial-level agencies and Government-attached agencies, presidents of the People's Committees of Can Tho city and An Giang, Bac Lieu, Ben Tre, Ca Mau, Dong Thap, Kien Giang, Long An, Soc Trang, Tien Giang, Hau Giang, Tra Vinh and Vinh Long provinces shall implement this Decision.