The continuation of Sweden’s support to Vietnam’s media was confirmed in an agreement signed in Hanoi early September by Ms Marie Ottosson, the Minister and the Head of the Development Cooperation Section at the Swedish Embassy and Mr Do Quy Doan, the Vice Minister of Ministry of Information and Communication.
Under the agreement from now until 2013, Sweden will contribute 8.5 million Swedish Kronor to Vietnam Media Training Centre, which was newly established under the Ministry of Information and Communication to carry out its professional journalism training.
The overall goal of the support is to promote democracy through a more professional, open, independent and self-reliant media. It is expected that Sweden’s continued support will underpin positive changes in the media of Vietnam in order to further enhance the role and responsibilities of the media with respect to freedom of expression, the right to access information and freedom of press.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, Ms Ottosson stressed that within the new Cooperation Strategy for Vietnam 2009 – 2013, cooperation in the area of democracy and human rights is prioritised within the selective cooperation. She said: “The media is crucial for further development towards democratic governance of Vietnam. Sweden has a unique position and experience in both technical assistance and human rights based policy dialogues. We are pleased to continue our support to the media sector of Vietnam.”
