DECISION No. 236/1999/QD-TTg OF DECEMBER 24, 1999 ON ORGANIZATION AND MANAGEMENT OF INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCES AND SEMINARS IN VIETNAM

THE PRIME MINISTER

DECIDES:

Article 1.- The international conferences and seminars to be governed by this Decision shall include conferences, seminars and talks, which are participated or financially supported by foreign organizations and/or individuals, and organized in Vietnam (hereafter referred to as international conferences and seminars for short).

Article 2.- This Decision prescribes the international conferences and seminars organized by the ministries, the ministerial-level agencies, the agencies attached to the Government (hereafter called the central agencies for short) and the People�s Committees of the provinces and centrally-run cities (hereafter called localities for short).

The organization of international conferences and seminars by the central bodies of the people�s organizations (including mass organizations, socio-political organization, socio-professional organizations and some other organizations) shall comply with the stipulations of the Standing Office of the Politburo (of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee).

Article 3.- The competence to permit the organization of international conferences and seminars

1. The Prime Minister shall permit the organization of the following international conferences and seminars:

a) International summit conferences and seminars with participants being the heads or officials representing the Governments of countries, various international organizations;

b) International conferences and seminars with their contents being related to the important guidelines, policies or strategies of the Party and the State;

c) International conferences and seminars on complicated ethnic, religious or social issues;

d) International conferences and seminars with contents being related to State secrets;

e) International conferences and seminars of inter-branch characters and covering many fields.

2. Heads of the central agencies shall decide the organization of international conferences and seminars of their own and permit their attached units to organize international conferences and seminars on professional, scientific, technical or technological matters under their State management spheres.

3. The presidents of the People�s Committees of the provinces and centrally-run cities shall decide the organization of international conferences and seminars of their localities.

International conferences and/or seminars with contents relating to the State management spheres of any agencies must be commented in writing by such agencies before deciding to organize them. The commenting central agencies shall have to reply in writing within 15 days after receiving the written requests; if past that time limit no written reply is made, they are deemed to have agreed thereon.

4. For international conferences and seminars which fall under the competence of the Prime Minister, the organizing agencies shall have to obtain written comments of concerned agencies (if with relevant contents) before submitting them to the Prime Minister. The concerned commenting agencies shall have to reply in writing within the time limit prescribed in Clause 3, Article 3 of this Decision.

5. The central agencies and the localities shall neither organize nor permit their attached units to organize international conferences and/or seminars with contents outside their State management functions.

6. The Government�s Commission for Organization and Personnel shall have to coordinate with concerned agencies in monitoring, synthesizing and periodially reporting on the activities of the international conferences and seminars to the Prime Minister.

Article 4.- The contents of management of international conferences and seminars

The central agencies and localities shall have to directly and comprehensively manage the international conferences and seminars according to the following contents:

1. To permit the organization of international conferences and seminars in writing, based on the consideration and approval of their plans, contents, scales, the quantity and composition of delegates (Vietnamese and foreign), time, venue and funding sources.

2. To manage the contents of information and propagation, the organization work, contents of speeches and other publications to be distributed at the international conferences and seminars.

3. To detect and take measures for timely handling of acts of law offenses and against the provisions of this Decision, which are committed by individuals and/or organizations in the course of organizing international conferences and seminars.

4. To report periodically (biannually, annually) on the development and results of international conferences and seminars to the Government�s Commission for Organization and Personnel for sum-up report to the Prime Minister.

Article 5.- Responsibilities of agencies organizing international conferences and seminars:

1. To make written requests for permission of the competent agencies prescribed in Article 2 of this Decision.

The written request should clearly state:

a) The purposes of the international conferences or seminars;

b) The plans and contents of the international conferences and/or seminars;

c) The time and venue of organization, locations for visits or surveys (if any);

d) Participants in the organization: Vietnamese agencies, foreign agencies, sponsoring agencies (if any);

e) Participating composition: quantity and structure of delegates, including Vietnamese and foreign delegates;

f) Funding sources;

g) Opinions of concerned agencies (if any).

2. For international conferences and seminars organized with the State budget fund, the agencies organizing such international conferences and seminars shall have to make the funding estimates in their units� annual budget estimates according to the financial management regulations.

3. To be answerable for the contents of documents, reports, speeches, materials and data at the international conferences and seminars (if any); the contents of printed matters distributed in the course of conferences and/or seminars.

4. To observe the regulations on confidentiality and regulations on information and propaganda.

5. To observe the regulations on spending and financial settlement as well as final account settlement.

6. Where international conferences and/or seminars see complicated developments, they must be reported immediately to the competent agencies for direction and timely settlement.

7. To send reports on the results of the international conferences and seminars to the competent agencies and the Government�s Commission for Organization and Personnel within one month after the conclusion thereof.

Article 6.- Organizations and individuals that violate the provisions of this Decision shall, depending on the seriousness of their violations, be dealt with according to law.

Article 7.- This Decision replaces Directive No. 231/CT of June 24, 1992 of the Chairman of the Council of Ministers and takes effect 15 days after its signing. The ministers, the heads of the ministerial-level agencies, the heads of the agencies attached to the Government, the presidents of the People�s Committees of the provinces and centrally-run cities shall have to implement this Decision.

Prime Minister
PHAN VAN KHAI