(VOVworld) – The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has pledged to support Vietnam as much in fiscal year 2017 as it did in the previous fiscal year. This means Vietnam remains one of the countries with the biggest JICA-funded projects.

JICA's annual press conference in Vietnam on April 20, 2017 (Photo: thoibaotaichinhvietnam.vn)

Fujita Yasuo, Chief Representative of JICA Vietnam, told a press conference last Thursday that JICA will focus its support for Vietnam on the three pillars: "Promotion of economic growth and strengthening international competitiveness", "Good governance", and "Response to fragility". But he said the areas of support will be adjusted in accordance with the Japanese Government’s policies, the Vietnamese Government’s needs, and sustainable development goals.

For the first pillar, JICA will concentrate on urban and transport network development, support for localities, the private economic sector, industry, agriculture, forestry, fisheries, the capital market, public finance, and human resource development.

For the second pillar, JICA supports the improvement of health care quality and basic health services and climate change response projects.

For the third pillar, JICA will help Vietnam enhance the legal capacity of administrative agencies and public communications.

The JICA representative said the disbursement for fiscal year 2017 will be less than for fiscal year 2016 because the Thai Binh thermal power plant no longer needs much funding. Furthermore, the Vietnamese government’s restriction of the disbursement of corresponding capital from its budget will affect JICA’s disbursement of committed loans.

Yasuo said other foreign donors in Vietnam face the same problems as JICA and they will work together to get the Vietnamese government to address those obstacles.

Japan committed 1.7 billion USD worth of ODA for Vietnam and disbursed 1.6 billion USD in fiscal year 2016.