Vietnam Uses WB Funds Effectively, Managing Director Mohieldin Says

The Vietnamese government had effectively used the World Bank (WB)’s financial support, particularly in education and social security, Managing Director Mahmoud Mohieldin said. Mohieldin made the statement at a meeting with Vietnam’s Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan in the capital city of Hanoi on May 3. The WB’s total financial commitment to Vietnam was nearly $15 billion for 111 projects, mostly in the fields of transport, urban and rural development, energy, water resources management, public administration reforms, finance, education, healthcare and environment as of February 2012. Mohieldin also noted that the WB would continue focusing its financial support on education and agriculture to help Vietnam develop a suitable system of social security services. For his part, Nhan said that the WB’s contributions to the country’s development were appreciated and that he expected it to continue providing financial and technical support to help Vietnam attain its goals, particularly in the realm of human resources. In regards to social security, Nhan asked that the bank focus its resources on ensuring safety for people in cases of risk, poverty reduction and ensuring equal rights to access training opportunities. He hoped the bank would continue helping Vietnam maintain sustainable growth after becoming a middle-income country. He also asked for the WB’s continued support for the national anti-tuberculosis program. The biggest multilateral donor WB pledged $2 billion in official development assistance (ODA) for Vietnam in 2012. (Vietnam News May 4 p2)