Joint circular No. 93/2007/TTLT-BYT-BGDDT of November 22, 2007, guideline on tasks’ assignment and coordination amongst three sectors of agriculture & rural development, health and education & training in the implementation of RWSS NTP 2006-2010

JOINT CIRCULAR

GUIDELINE ON TASKS’ ASSIGNMENT AND COORDINATION AMONGST THREE SECTORS OF AGRICULTURE & RURAL DEVELOPMENT, HEALTH AND EDUCATION & TRAINING IN THE IMPLEMENTATION OF RWSS NTP 2006-2010

Pursuant to the Decree No.86/2003/ND-CP dated 18 July 2003 of Prime Minister which regulates function, rights & obligations and organizational structure of Ministry of Agriculture & Rural Development;

Pursuant to the Decree No.49/2003/ND-CP dated 15 May 2003 of Prime Minister which regulates function, rights & obligations and organizational structure of Ministry of Health;

Pursuant to the Decree No.85/2003/ND-CP dated 18 July 2003 of Prime Minister which regulates function, rights & obligations and organizational structure of Ministry of Education and Training;

Pursuant ton the Decree No.177/2007/ND-CP dated 11 July 2007 of Government on the production, provision and consumption of clean water;

Pursuant to the Decision No.104/2000/QD-TTg dated 25 August 2000 of Prime Minister on the approval of RWSS National Strategy until 2010;

Pursuant to the Decision No.277/2006/QD-TTg dated 11 December 2006 of Prime Minister on the approval of RWSS National Target Program 2006-2010;

Inter-ministerial circular of MARD, MOH and MOET providing guidelines on tasks’ assignment, coordination for RWSS NTP 2006-2010’s implementation (hereinafter called the Program) as follows:

I. RESPONSIBILITIES OF SECTORS, LEVELS IN THE PROVISION OF GUIDANCE FOR PROGRAM’S IMPLEMENTATION

1. Ministry of Agriculture & Rural Development

a, Planning:

- Prepare Program’s annual work-plan & expenditures, plan to 2010 to be forwarded to MPI, MOF for appraisal prior to the submission to Prime Minister for review and approval.

- Provide guidance for sectors and provinces in the development & implementation of annual RWSS plan.

b. Chair or coordinate with relevant Ministries, sectors to:

- Implement IEC activities on RWSS on national scale;

- Prepare the overall/master scheme or plan on RWSS to make the basis for the development & implementation of annual plan;

- Develop pilot models, and issue sample designs, guideline materials on technological transfer in terms of rural clean water supply and livestock pens’ sanitation for different regions;

- Develop to promulgate as per its authorization or submit to functional authorities to issue technical norms on rural water supply and related documents on Program’s management;

- Study, propose appropriate measures to enforce socialization, formulate rural clean water and sanitation service market;

- Develop and provide guidelines for the implementation of human resource development at different levels;

c. Promote the international cooperation to attract more investments for the Program, particularly for areas of critical water scarcity;

d. Take the leading role in the inspection, supervision and M&E for Program’s implementation;

dd. Periodically summarize and draw on lessons-learnt and prepare summary report to be submitted to Program Steering Committee and Prime Minister; at the same time, make proposals, recommendations for arisen problems that are beyond its authorization.

2. Ministry of Health

a. Prepare the overall/master scheme or plan on increased proportion of hygienic household latrines, water supply and hygienic latrines for commune clinics in rural areas;

b. Issue technical norms on hygienic domestic water for rural areas; develop and issue proper policy mechanism on the increased proportion of hygienic household latrines; provide guidance on the inspection, supervision and consolidate the management of domestic water quality and household hygiene and public sanitation in rural areas;

c. Provide guidance for Program’s implementation in the management scope of health sector, with some following major contents:

- Develop annual plan and plan to 2010, and manage the implement the Program’s objective on hygienic latrines for rural households and clinics;

- Implement IEC activities on clean water, personal hygiene, rural sanitation;

- Develop pilot models and issue guidelines on the construction, usage and maintenance of hygienic latrines, management models and rural water quality supervision;

- Provide training on capacity building for localities in terms of water quality supervision, communication for behavioral change on clean water, personal hygiene and rural sanitation

3. Ministry of Education and Training

a. Develop the overall/master scheme or plan on RWSS for universal educational units and pre-school units in rural areas (hereinafter called schools) that corresponds with Ministry’s activity;

b. Coordinate with MARD and other related Ministries, sectors in the development of guiding policy on school’s clean water and sanitation;

c. Provide guidance for Program’s implementation in the management scope of education & training sector, with some following major contents:

- Develop annual plan, plan to 2010 and implement the provision of clean water & sanitation for schools to ensure Program’s objective;

- Provide training, IEC activities to raise the awareness on clean water, personal hygiene and sanitation in schools;

- Develop pilot models and issue sample designs for school’s clean water supply and sanitation;

- Provide inspection, supervision of Program’s implementation at schools.

4. Provincial/Central City People’s Committees (hereinafter called PPCs)

Provide guidance for related agencies to implement the Program following assigned management field, specifically as follows:

a). DARD will be responsible for reporting on the overall Program’s status and implementing activities under field of rural clean water supply and livestock pens’ sanitation for rural population;

b). DOH will be responsible for the implementation of component on rural sanitation, personal hygiene, household latrines, training of collaborators and capacity building for districts, communes; provision of guidance for inspection & supervision of domestic water quality and sanitation facilities as per current regulations; provision of clean water and hygienic latrines for commune clinics;

c). DOET will be responsible for implementation of activities on school’s clean water supply & sanitation; providing measures to ensure sufficient volume of drinking water and hygienic domestic water, sufficient quantity of sanitation facilities which are put into use as per regulation; availability of proper curriculum & teaching methods to raise school students in order to change behavior on clean water, personal hygiene and sanitation;

d). District People’s Committee will be responsible for providing guidance for its relevant sub-agencies and Commune People’s Committee will coordinate with related Departments, sectors to implement Program’s activities within the locality.

II. PRINCIPLES FOR COORDINATION AND REPORTING

1. Coordination principle:

a. The coordination amongst implementing units must follow the Decree No.144/2005/ND-CP dated 16 November 2005 of the Government which regulates on the coordination amongst State administrative agencies in the developing and supervising the implementation of policy, strategy, plans;

b. At central level, Ministries will have overall discussion and decision on key issues prior to the submission to Program Steering Committee, specifically:

- Overall scheme or plan on national rural water supply and sanitation;

- Annual plan and plan to 2010 and estimated State budget allocation for related Ministries, sectors and provinces that have engaged in the Program;

- Guidelines on the implementation of annual plan;

- Contents; method and coordination amongst sectors in field of communication;

- Preliminary and summary report on the Program’s implementation, issues to be revised/amended and submitted to the Prime Minister;

- Quantity, scale, content and construction site for RWSS models; to-be-issued sample designs;

- Human resource’s education and training scheme.

Related Ministries are assigned to develop contents and chair discussions.

c. At provincial level, Departments will have overall discussion and decision on key issues prior to the submission to provincial NTPs Program Steering Committee, specifically:

- Overall scheme or plan on provincial rural water supply and sanitation;

- Annual plan and proposal for the State budget allocation to obtain Program’s objectives within the locality;

- Preliminary and summary reports, proposals and recommendations

Related provincial Departments are assigned to develop contents and chair discussions

d. Program related documents developed or issued by a relevant entity must be expressed by written agreement of Program Steering Committee (at central level) or NTPs Steering Committee (at provincial level) prior to the submission to functional agency for approval.

dd. At their mandate, related agencies will involve in the inspection, supervision and evaluation of Program’s implementation. Annually, Agriculture & Rural Development sector will carry out inter-sector supervision mission.

e. Annually, the preliminary evaluation will be made in Quarter I to verify current status and push out recommended measures. At central level, lead position will be covered by MARD and NTP Steering Committee or PPC at provincial level. Mid-term & final evaluation will be done under the direction of Program Steering Committee.

g. In timely manner, related agencies will notify/disseminate each other issues regarding Program’s implementation under their management scope.

2. Principle for documents’ submission and reporting

a. Guiding documents of MARD will be sent to related Ministries, sectors and provinces:

- Prior to 01 June for guiding document on the development of annual planning;

- Prior to 15 December for guiding document on the implementation of plan.

b. Reporting on annual plan:

- Prior to 01 July, DOH & DOET are supposed to submit next-year plan for the relevant Ministries and copy to DARD for summary and subsequent submission to PPC or NTP Steering Committee;

- Prior to 10 July, PPCs, MOH and MOET are supposed to submit next-year plan to MARD to summary and report to Program Steering Committee.

c. Reporting on implementation status of the plan:

As per Inter-ministerial Circular No.01/2003/BKH-BTC dated 6 January 2003 of MPI & MOF and Decision No.42/2002/QD-TTg dated 19 March 2002 of Prime Minister on the management and implementation of NTPs.

d. Reporting on the checking of domestic water quality and household latrines: follows the Circular No.15/2006/TT-BYT dated 30 November 2006 of MOH;

dd. Preliminary and final reports on the Program’s implementation: 10 days after the preliminary & final reporting period, PPCs will forward those reports to MARD for summary and submit to Program Steering Committee and then Prime Minister.

III. IMPLEMENTATION ARRANGEMENTS AND TERMS

1. Implementation arrangements

a. At central level:

Department of Water Resources & CERWASS (MARD), Department of Preventive Health (MOH) and Department of Student Management (MOET) are delegated to be focal points. DWR will assume standing role. Other focal points will have quarterly meeting to evaluate the implementation situation, tackle arisen issues and work out future recommendations.

b. At provincial level:

PPC’s chairmen will assign specific tasks for provincial Departments of Agriculture & Rural Development, Health, Education & Training and DPCs. pCERWASS and related agencies are delegated to be focal contact points. Also, chairmen will appoint leading agency and provide regulations on meeting frequency, reporting.

2. Enforcement terms

This Circular will take effect 15 days since it is published on Official Gazette.

During the implementation process, related implementing units are kindly requested to make any possible responses regarding constraints, problems to MARD, MOH and MOET for review and decision.