The new wave of funding comes in line with a recently-signed co-sponsorship agreement between the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the UNDP.

Australian Ambassador to Vietnam Robyn Mudie affirmed the South Pacific country’s strong backing of Vietnamese efforts to promote provincial governance and public administration, especially in terms of learning lessons from the Vietnamese response to the novel coronavirus pandemic.

Meanwhile, Caitlin Wiesen, UNDP Resident Representative, said Australia’s practical contribution will serve to support the PAPI in further enhancing governance and public administration efficiency in Vietnam.

Australian sponsorship is coming at a time when the country is entering a recovery period following the easing of the pandemic, Wiesen said, adding that UNDP will co-ordinate with partners to assist Vietnamese cities and provinces to improve their public administration performance, enhance accountability, and work towards people-centred administrations.

PAPI therefore reflects the voices of people with regard to the performance of the State apparatus and in terms of the quality of all-level administrations’ provision of services. The survey has successfully collected opinions from over 131,500 individuals since its launch in 2009, with
Australia selected as the official sponsor in 2018.