Part of the Program on Public Services Provision Improvement in Agriculture and Rural Development (PS-ARD), the projects are funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC).

The People’s Committees of the two provinces were asked to finalize the projects’ documents, verify, ratify and implement the projects under the current regulations on ODA management and use.

The Government chief has also permitted the two provincial People’s Committees to sign related agreements with the SDC.

The PS-ARD Stage 2 is scheduled to be deployed from May, 2011-April, 2015 in Hòa Bình and Cao Bằng. Total investment capital for the two phases is over US $ 20 million.

The overall objectives of the projects are to enhance communal level capacity building in making socio-economic development plans and better efficient and effective decentralized public service delivery systems and processes in agriculture and rural development.

By Hải Minh