Increasing transparency and accountability is the key to the success of Vietnam’s battle against corruption, said Swedish Ambassador to Vietnam Staffan Herrstrom.
Speaking at a press briefing on the threshold of the ninth Anti-Corruption Dialogue in Hanoi on May 24, Ambassador Herrstrom spoke highly of the dialogue’s theme, “Corruption in the Mining Industry in Vietnam,” saying the issue will have a negative impact on the country’s sustainable development and trust in its business environment.
The diplomat congratulated the Vietnamese government on organising the biannual dialogue, which systematically mentions and regularly updates the issue of corruption within the framework of dialogue with domestic and foreign partners.
He also urged Vietnam to create conditions for individuals and organisations to join anti-corruption efforts.
He said he expected the dialogue, scheduled for May 25, to touch upon measures to implement the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) in Vietnam as a tool to combine the efforts of the government, society, media and private sector in the battle against corruption in the mining industry.
The dialogue will be jointly held by the Government Inspectorate, the Office of the National Steering Committee on Corruption Prevention and the Swedish Embassy.
EITI is being implemented in 35 countries, including those with abundant natural resources contributing 25 percent or more to their respective GDP.
In Vietnam, mining is one of the fastest developing industries which contributes greatly to the State budget.
Vietnam ranks seventh in Asia-Pacific and third in Southeast Asia in crude oil production.
