Australia pledges $105 million ODA

Official development assistance provided by the Australian Government to Viet Nam for the 2010-11 fiscal year will total about A$119.8 million (US$105 million) mainly to improve human resources, infrastructure and institutional development.

A key priority of the programme is the commitment to provide 225 post-graduate scholarships as promised by Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd during Party General Secretary Nong Duc Manh's visit to Australia last September.

About one-third of the fund, A$32.6 million ($28.5 million), will be used to support major transport projects and regional road building to connect poor rural areas to key regional transport and economic corridors.

One key project was the Central Mekong Delta Connectivity Project which would deliver significant economic and social benefits to the densely populated delta.

On institutional reform, the funding will back ongoing support for Phase 2 of the Beyond WTO Programme which will bolster Viet Nam's effective integration into the global economy.

Funds would also be used to help Viet Nam improve the living conditions of the poor, health system, disaster prevention and cross-border and regional threat management.

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