During a plenary session on Thursday, deputies discussed a proposal to integrate the target programs into a single National Target Program on Cultural and Social Development, Rural Development, Ethnic Minority Affairs and Mountainous Areas for 2026–2035.
Deputies said integration could help reduce overlaps and improve the efficiency of resource allocation, but stressed the need for clear mechanisms for distributing and reallocating funds, particularly to ensure adequate resources for disadvantaged areas.
Deputy Nguyen Xuan Nghiem of the Da Nang delegation said the guiding principle must be substantive integration, without reducing priority for disadvantaged regions and vulnerable groups. He also stressed that decentralization must go hand in hand with capacity and resources, while the effectiveness of the program should be measured by tangible results.
Mr. Nghiem said: “Integration does not mean eliminating the specific objectives, beneficiaries or policies of individual sectors. On the contrary, those specific policies must be protected. What needs to be unified is the way we plan, coordinate resources, organize implementation, monitor and evaluate the programs. Most importantly, integration must improve our ability to coordinate resources, rather than simply merge funding sources.”
Deputies said national target programs should shift more strongly toward a model in which the State provides support while enabling people to develop themselves.
The success of the programs should be measured through three major shifts: from fragmented to integrated management; from input-based to results-based management; and from the central government making detailed decisions to local authorities taking greater initiative and responsibility while being held accountable for results.
Minister of Finance Ngo Van Tuan said: “The resources already approved by the National Assembly for the four programs will remain unchanged. The central budget will support localities that cannot balance their budgets, as well as those that can balance their budgets but do not contribute to the central budget. Central funding allocations and support will be based on the level of difficulty and the gap between the current situation and the targets, with particular consideration given to disbursement progress and the effectiveness of capital management and use. The draft resolution also provides particularly favorable policies for ethnic minority communities in mountainous areas.”
The same day, the National Assembly heard submissions and verification reports on amendments to the Criminal Code, the Law on the Organization of Criminal Investigation Agencies and the Criminal Procedure Code.
