Article 1.- To approve the national target program on rural clean water and environmental sanitation in the 2006-2010 period (below referred to as the Program for short) with the following principal contents:

I. Viewpoints, guiding principles and implementation scope of the Program

1. Viewpoints

a/ To bring into play the internal strengths of the entire society for the implementation of the Program and, at the same time, based on the characteristics of each region or locality and the demands of users, to select a technological scope and service level suitable to the financial capability as well as the post-investment management, exploitation and use of facilities.

b/ To step up socialization and development of a rural clean water and environmental sanitation service market suitable to the socio-economic development situation of the country.

c/ The State shall adopt mechanisms and policies to support poor people, policy beneficiaries, ethnic minority areas, and rural areas meeting with exceptional difficulties in clean water and environmental sanitation.

2. Guiding principles

a/ To ensure the sustainable development of the Program in association with the Party's and State's comprehensive strategy on growth, hunger eradication and poverty alleviation; rural clean-water supply and environmental sanitation facilities, once repaired, upgraded or built, must ensure sustainable operation and efficiency.

b/ To prioritize the supply of water to densely populated areas; to upgrade and expand existing facilities; to seek stable water sources for areas stricken by exceptional difficulties or frequently affected by drought, polluted areas, mountainous and coastal areas and islands.

c/ The Program shall be managed and administered in accordance with law.

3. Implementation scope of the Program: rural areas nationwide, with priority given in the immediate future to deep-lying, remote, ethnic minority and coastal areas, areas frequently stricken by drought or difficulties in water sources, and areas with polluted water sources.

II. The Program's objectives

To ensure that by the end of 2010, the following fundamental objectives of the Program will be achieved:

1. Water supply: 85% of the rural population will have access to hygienic daily-life water, 50% of whom will have access to clean water up to the standards promulgated together with the Health Ministry's Decision No. 09/2005/QD-BYT of March 11, 2005, with 60 liters//person/day.

2. Environmental sanitation: 70% of rural households will have hygienic latrines; 70% of farmers' households engaged in animal husbandry will have hygienic pens.

All rural kindergartens, schools, health stations, markets, communal working offices and public works will have access to sufficient clean water and hygienic latrines.

To minimize environmental pollution in trade villages, especially food and foodstuff processing villages.

III. Major solutions

To continue directing the implementation of the Prime Minister's Decision No. 104/2000/QD-TTg of August 25, 2000, approving the national strategy on rural clean water supply and environmental sanitation up to 2020; particularly in the 2006-2010 period, the following major solutions should be taken:

1. To step up socialization and development of a rural clean water and environmental sanitation market.

a/ To promulgate mechanisms and policies to facilitate and encourage all economic and social sectors to invest in the development of rural clean water and environmental sanitation;

b/ To mobilize community participation, ensuring publicity, democracy and transparency in the course of implementation of projects;

c/ To enhance the legality and strictness of sanctions against violations in the domain of rural clean water supply and environmental sanitation.

2. To step up information-education-communication and community involvement activities.

Management agencies, socio-economic organizations and mass media agencies shall supply the communities with full, accurate, prompt and regular information on health and environmental sanitation, relevant policies, financial support systems, good models, science and technology, and modes of managing and operating rural water supply and environmental sanitation facilities.

The State encourages international organizations, non-governmental organizations and social and economic sectors to participate in conducting information, education and communication on rural clean water and environmental sanitation.

3. To formulate and implement plannings and plans

To regularly review, supplement and update in time general and detailed plannings on rural clean-water supply and environmental sanitation for use as a basis for the elaboration of five-year and annual development plans. The Program's plans must be based on people's demands and synthesized from grassroots, communal, district, provincial and central plans to ensure feasibility.

To enhance decentralization and, at the same time, apply supervision and monitoring mechanisms to ensure the effective implementation of the Program.

4. Scientific and technological solutions

To diversify water supply technologies appropriate to natural, economic and social conditions of each locality, ensuring sustainable development; to rationally exploit and use water sources with appropriate technologies; to raise the quality of facilities and water.

To select and develop different types of hygienic latrines for use in households, schools and public places suitable to use demands, practice and culture of local people. To intensify the application of biogas technologies to the treatment of waste from animal husbandry.

To study and build on an experimental basis demonstration models of treatment of waste from trade villages, especially food and foodstuff processing villages.

5. To manage construction investment, exploitation and protection of facilities

To invest for proper purposes in the construction of facilities according to approved plannings and plans; to set up appropriate organizations to manage, exploit and protect approved facilities.

Service charges must correctly and fully cover reasonable expenses to help service-providing organizations and individuals enjoy financial autonomy.

Service users shall pay for services they have actually used and at prescribed charge rates.

6. To train and develop human resources

To increase training for cadres and technicians engaged in water supply and environmental sanitation at all levels in order to improve their professional qualifications and skills, first of all managerial personnel and workers engaged in operating, repairing and maintaining clean water supply and environmental sanitation facilities. To attach importance to raising their practical skills to meet the requirements on the operation of facilities; to prioritize training for grassroots maintenance and operation workers and technicians.

7. To expand international cooperation

To step up international cooperation in order to exchange experience, share information, transfer technologies, and mobilize non-refundable aid and preferential credit.

To establish clear and flexible mechanisms for coordination between government agencies and donors in order to create a transparent, favorable and efficient environment for the implementation of the Program; to establish partnership relations between Vietnam and donors in the domain of rural clean-water supply and environmental sanitation,

8. To enhance supervision and monitoring

To establish systems for, and enhance, supervision and monitoring at central, provincial, district and communal levels.

To monitor and evaluate the results of achievement of the Program's objectives, the quantity and quality of works, and the quality of water, supervising the implementation process from survey and construction to operation management of each project. To enhance community involvement to ensure transparency, publicity and democracy in the course of implementation.

9. Solutions on mechanisms of managing and administering the Program

a/ To consolidate and rationally reorganize rural clean-water supply and environmental sanitation organizations at all levels, especially the grassroots, hamlet and village level;

b/ The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development shall assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with ministries, branches and localities in, directing rural clean-water supply and environmental sanitation, clearly defining responsibilities and applying mechanisms to ensure proper coordination between ministries, branches and social organizations and the effective implementation of the Program from the central to local level;

c/ Participating ministries and branches which perform the state management of rural-clean water supply and environmental sanitation task within their assigned domains shall concentrate on directing the implementation, elaboration and promulgation of guiding documents; conduct supervision and monitoring; train and develop human resources; develop communication documents and launch propaganda campaigns on mass media; disseminate experience lessons, etc.;

d/ At the local level: To concentrate on the implementation, proposal of plans, management and supervision, training of grassroots staff, community mobilization, implementation evaluation, reporting, field survey, elaboration of communication documents suitable to localities, organization of communication activities, and provision of technical guidance at all local levels, especially the community level.

IV. Priority projects of the Program in the 2006-2010 period

1. Investment in the construction of rural water supply and environmental sanitation facilities to ensure the achievement of the Program's objectives on clean water supply and sanitation in rural communities, schools, health stations and public works.

2. Study and perfection of mechanisms and policies.

3. Selection and application of rural clean water supply and sanitation technologies.

4. Intensification of the information-education-communication work.

5. Survey and review of the Program's plans and monitoring and evaluation of the investment in the Program.

6. Promotion of human resource training and development.

7. Promotion of international cooperation.

The list of specific tasks and projects is included in the Appendix to this Decision.

V. Financial mechanisms and mobilization of investment resources

1. To bring into play internal strengths; the State shall create legal grounds to encourage people, economic and social sectors, domestic and foreign organizations to invest in rural clean water supply and environmental sanitation.

To integrate the Program into other programs and projects for attraction of additional investment sources.

2. In the 2006-2010 period, total investment capital is estimated at around VND 22,600 billion, including VND 3,200 billion from the central budget, VND 2,300 billion from local budgets, VND 3,400 billion from international aid, VND 8,100 billion from people's contributions, and VND 5,600 billion from preferential credit.

In the immediate future, to arrange the order of priority, concentrating investment on really urgent works which will bring benefits to localities according to the objectives and schedule approved by competent authorities.

Investment capital sources: annual state budget capital (central and local budgets, ODA capital), beneficiaries' contributions and other lawful capital sources.

VI. Implementation duration of the Program

The Program will be implemented from 2006 to the end of 2010. Mid-term review and evaluation will be conducted to propose solutions to the achievement of its objectives.

The results of implementation of this Program will be reviewed and evaluated in 2010 to draw necessary lessons and experience for the achievement of rural clean water and environmental sanitation objectives by 2020.

Article 2.- Organization of implementation

1. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development shall assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with ministries, branches and localities in:

a/ Directing and guiding the effective implementation of the Program;

b/ Reviewing, amending and supplementing mechanisms and policies to manage and direct the implementation of the Program; study solutions for the socialization and establishment of a rural clean water and environmental sanitation services market;

c/ Directing the identification of a specific structure of investment capital sources from central and local budgets and other lawful capital sources, including ODA capital, and proposing solutions and policies to attract various capital sources for implementation of the Program; and at the same time, expanding and promoting international cooperation to seek assistance in terms of experience, science and technology, finance, human resource training, information, and attract investment for the rapid and sustainable implementation of the Program;

d/ Inspecting, examining and periodically reviewing, evaluating, and drawing experience from, the implementation of the Program;

e/ Reviewing and reporting annual implementation results to the Prime Minister and proposing the solution of problems which arise beyond their competence; drawing up annual plans and estimating annual funds and sending them to the Ministry of Planning and Investment and the Ministry of Finance for summing-up and submission to the Prime Minister for consideration and decision;

f/ The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development shall decide on the setting up of the Program Management Unit and promulgate its operation regulation; the Ministries of: Planning and Investment, Finance, Natural Resources and Environment, Science and Technology, and Health, and concerned agencies shall appoint their officials to participate in this Unit.

2. Provincial/municipal People's Committees

a/ To direct the effective implementation of the Program in their localities under the direction and guidance of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and concerned ministries and branches;

b/ To integrate capital sources of other programs and projects in their localities for the effective implementation of the Program;

c/ To mobilize various resources (local budgets, community contributions and other lawful capital sources) for the construction of rural clean water supply and environmental sanitation facilities; to direct and organize or decentralize the formulation, evaluation and approval of the Program's projects according to regulations;

d/ To periodically report the implementation results of the Program to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

3. The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment shall manage, exploit and use water sources in a sustainable manner; assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and concerned agencies in, basing themselves on this Program's contents to arrange the order of priority, direct and organize the treatment of environmental pollution in trade villages, rural areas and severely polluted water sources.

4. The Ministry of Health shall guide and publicize rural clean water and sanitation standards; provide medical establishments with guidance on public and household sanitation in rural areas; and enhance the state management of the quality of clean water used for daily life and household and community sanitation in rural areas.

5. The Ministry of Education and Training shall direct and guide the improvement of teachers' and pupils' knowledge about clean water and sanitation in schools; inspect and supervise the implementation of clean water supply and sanitation objectives in schools and training institutions.

6. Other ministries and branches and socio-political organizations shall, according to their functions and tasks, participate in the implementation of the Program, especially in information-education-communication activities, mobilizing the community to actively build, and make financial and credit contributions to the construction, operation and management of rural clean water supply and environmental sanitation facilities.

7. The Ministry of Planning and Investment and the Ministry of Finance shall, based on the Program's contents and the proposals of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, ministries, branches and localities, arrange annual funds in accordance with the State Budget Law for the implementation of the Program's annual plans.

Article 3.- This Decision takes effect 15 days after its publication in "CONG BAO."

Article 4.- Ministers, heads of ministerial-level agencies, heads of government-attached agencies, socio-political organizations, and presidents of provincial/municipal People's Committees shall implement this Decision.