Tasks and powers of the Department of Foreign Affairs in Vietnam

Tasks and powers of the Department of Foreign Affairs in Vietnam (Internet image)

Department of Foreign Affairs is a specialized agency under the Provincial People's Committee in Vietnam

Circular 03/2021/TT-BNG on guidelines for functions, tasks, and powers on foreign affairs of specialized agencies under the provincial-level People's Committees and district-level People's Committees shall be promulgated by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Vietnam.

Accordingly, the Department of Foreign Affairs is a specialized agency under the Provincial People's Committee, with the function of advising and assisting the Provincial People's Committee in the state management of foreign affairs and national border affairs. for provinces with borders (hereinafter referred to as foreign affairs) of the locality; public services under the scope of state management of the Department in accordance with the law.

The Department of Foreign Affairs has legal status, its own seal, and its own account; it submits to the direction and management of the provincial People's Committee in terms of organization, staffing, and operation; at the same time, it is subject to the direction, guidance, and professional inspection of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Duties and powers of the Department of Foreign Affairs

1. Submitting to the People's Committee of the province:

- Draft decision of the provincial People's Committee related to local foreign affairs under the management of the Department of Foreign Affairs and other documents as assigned by the provincial People's Committee;

- Draft long-term, five-year, annual plans, programs, schemes, and measures to organize the performance of foreign affairs tasks in the locality under the decision-making authority of the People's Council, Provincial People's Committee;

- Draft decision on decentralization and authorization of state management tasks in the field of foreign affairs to the Department of Foreign Affairs and the district-level People's Committee in accordance with law;

- Draft decision specifying the functions, tasks, powers, and organizational structure of the Department of Foreign Affairs; draft decision stipulating the functions, tasks, powers, and organizational structure of public non-business units under the Department of Foreign Affairs;

- Draft decision on implementation of socialization of public non-business service provision activities in the field of foreign affairs under the competence of the provincial People's Committee and according to the decentralization of superior state agencies.

2. Submitting to the President of the provincial People's Committee draft decisions, directives and other documents under the promulgation competence of the President of the provincial People's Committee on foreign affairs in the locality.

3. Guiding the implementation of the autonomy mechanism for public non-business units under their respective management sectors and domains as prescribed by law; manage the operation of non-business units inside and outside the public sector within the scope of industries and fields.

4. Organizing the implementation of legal documents, plans, programs, schemes, and projects on local foreign affairs after they are approved; providing information, propaganda, dissemination, guidance, inspection, examination, and supervision of the implementation of the fields under the management of the Department.

5. Regarding international cooperation and integration:

- Advise the provincial People's Committee on the work of international cooperation and integration in the locality in accordance with the Party's foreign policy and policy and the State's policies and laws.

- Advise the People's Committee of the province, develop and organize the implementation of local international cooperation and integration plans and programs, and develop projects on establishing friendly and cooperative relations in the locality with foreign partners, reporting to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as prescribed.

- Act as the focal point of the provincial People's Committee in exchanging and cooperating with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Vietnamese representative missions abroad, diplomatic missions, consular missions, foreign honorary consular offices, representative offices of intergovernmental international organizations (hereinafter referred to as foreign representative offices), foreign non-governmental organizations, and other entities with foreign elements in Vietnam.

6. Regarding economic diplomacy:

- Advise the People's Committees of provinces in economic diplomacy, develop and implement strategies, schemes, plans, and programs of foreign affairs in service of local socio-economic development.

- Act as the focal point of the Provincial People's Committee in exchange and cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and overseas Vietnamese representative agencies and foreign representative agencies in Vietnam in promoting and introducing local potentials and strengths; supporting the implementation of tasks on trade promotion, investment, tourism, and protection of legitimate rights and interests of local economic organizations abroad.

7. Regarding cultural diplomacy:

- Advise the People's Committee of the province in cultural diplomacy, developing and implementing programs and action plans to implement the Cultural Diplomacy Strategy in each period.

- Act as the focal point of the Provincial People's Committee in exchange and cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and overseas Vietnamese representative agencies and foreign representative agencies in Vietnam and other entities with foreign elements in implementing cultural diplomacy activities in the locality, introducing and promoting the local image, people, and culture abroad.

- Coordinate to advise the Provincial People's Committee on the work of building and submitting to the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) for recognition of various types of world cultural titles as well as the preservation and promotion of the value of these types of titles.

8. Regarding overseas Vietnamese work:

- Advise the People's Committee of the province on the work of overseas Vietnamese, take charge of organizing the implementation of policies, plans, and programs for overseas Vietnamese in the locality.

- Organize information and propaganda on the guidelines and policies of the Party and State towards overseas Vietnamese; mobilize, guide, and support overseas Vietnamese and their relatives in working, doing business, living, and studying locally.

- Annually, periodically summarize and statistic the number of overseas Vietnamese in the locality, evaluate and propose solutions to solve problems related to overseas Vietnamese and their relatives in the locality, and advise the Provincial People's Committee to report to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs according to regulations.

9. Regarding consular work and citizen protection:

- Advise the People's Committee of the province to perform the function of state management of entry and exit of persons eligible for the issuance of diplomatic or official passports in accordance with Vietnamese law.

- Handle issues related to the protection of local citizens abroad and in consular work for foreigners in the locality.

- Act as the focal point to receive and return results of applications for consular certification and legalization in the locality when authorized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; receive and coordinate with relevant agencies in appraising, verifying, and submitting to the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee for consideration and permission to use the travel card of APEC businessmen (ABTC card, if assigned by the People's Committee of the province).

- Coordinate with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in collecting and receiving samples of seals, signatures, and titles of local agencies and organizations and central agencies and organizations in their localities to carry out consular certification and legalization procedures.

- Act as the focal point for exchange with foreign representative offices in Vietnam to settle common and less complicated consular cases in the locality as authorized by the Provincial People's Committee on the basis of instructions from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

- Coordinate with relevant agencies and the Consular Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to advise the People's Committee of the province on guidelines and policies on overseas migration activities of citizens in the locality.

10. Regarding the work of national borders and territories (for provinces with border lines):

- Be the standing body of the provincial People's Committee on national border and territorial affairs; assist the provincial People's Committee in performing the function of state management of border and territorial affairs in their localities according to the provisions of law and the direction and guidance of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and relevant ministries and branches.

- Monitor, summarize, and report to the Provincial People's Committee and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the implementation of international treaties on national borders, territories, programs, and other projects related to border management in the province in charge.

- Advise the provincial People's Committee on the handling of issues arising on land and sea borders in the locality, report to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and relevant agencies.

- Organize training courses, propagating and disseminating laws, guidelines, and policies of the Party and State on national borders and territories; guide, examine, and manage documents, maps,  and records on the border under the local management; inspect, urge, and guide local agencies and units on issues of state management of borders and territories.

- Assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with relevant agencies in, advising the People's Committee of the province on the construction, maintenance, and repair of national landmarks and border markers.
and other measures to protect national landmarks and border markers when necessary.

- Coordinate with relevant agencies in performing international cooperation tasks on border guard and border guard diplomacy.

11. Regarding the work of external reception:

- Implement state management of external reception in the locality.

- Propose, develop, and advise the People's Committee of the province to promulgate documents regulating the work of external reception in the locality; organize inspections; and guide the implementation of regulations on external reception at local agencies.

- Organize the implementation of external reception, welcoming foreign delegations to visit and work with provincial leaders or transit in the locality; preside over the reception and logistics for provincial delegations to visit and work abroad.

- Coordinate with agencies and units of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in guiding, managing, and ensuring the exercise of rights and regimes of privileges and immunities and foreign rituals for foreign consular missions. and units affiliated with foreign diplomatic missions located in the locality in accordance with Vietnamese law, international treaties to which Vietnam has signed and acceded, and according to international practices (for localities with foreign consular offices, units attached to foreign diplomatic missions).

12. Regarding the work of external information:

- Act as the focal point of the provincial People's Committee in exchange and cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and overseas Vietnamese representative agencies and foreign representative agencies in Vietnam in the implementation of the program, the local foreign propaganda information plan has been approved by the People's Committee of the province.

- Provide local information to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and functional agencies to serve the work of information and propaganda abroad; coordinate with overseas Vietnamese representative agencies in carrying out external information and local promotion activities abroad.

- Unified management of foreign correspondents in local press activities; develop a program of activities, organize the reception and answer interviews of provincial leaders, provide oriented information; monitor and manage the activities of foreign reporters in accordance with the law.

13. Regarding the organization and management of incoming and outgoing delegations:

- Act as the focal point to advise the People's Committee of the province every year and every 6 months to develop and adjust the plan of exit and entry delegations of provincial leaders to submit to competent authorities to send it to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for synthesis and submission to the Prime Minister for consideration and approval.

- Perform state management of foreign business delegations of provincial leaders and agencies, units, and localities of the province (outbound delegations) and international delegations to visit and work in localities in the province (incoming delegations).

- Organize delegations to work abroad of provincial leaders; act as the contact point for agencies and units of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Vietnamese representative missions abroad to support, guide, and manage the delegations out in accordance with regulations; Appraisal of outgoing delegation projects, monitoring, and general statistics of outgoing delegations under the management of the provincial People's Committee.

- Develop and organize the implementation of plans and schemes to welcome foreign delegations to visit and work with provincial leaders; appraise the proposals and recommendations of local departments, agencies, and branches on provincial leaders to receive foreign guests; General statistics of delegations under the management of the People's Committee of the province.

14. Regarding the organization and management of international conferences and seminars:

- Perform the state management of international conferences and seminars under the competence of chairpersons of provincial-level People's Committees; advise the President of the People's Committee of the province to coordinate in giving opinions and managing international conferences and seminars held in the province as permitted by other competent persons.

- Act as the focal point for receiving dossiers and appraising the contents of international conferences and seminars under the competence of the President of the provincial People's Committee; manage, guide, and inspect agencies, units, and localities to implement regulations on organization and management of international conferences and seminars.

- Report to the President of the Provincial People's Committee to consider suspending the organization of international conferences and seminars under the competence of the President of the Provincial People's Committee; request agencies of other competent persons to consider suspending the organization of international conferences and seminars in the province; or handle according to the provisions of law on handling administrative violations if detecting signs of violations of regulations on the organization and management of international conferences and seminars.

- Advise the President of the People's Committee of the province to report annually to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the organization and management of international conferences and seminars in the locality.

15. Regarding the signing and implementation of international agreements:

- Assist the People's Committee of the province in performing the state management of the signing and implementation of international agreements in the locality in accordance with the law on international agreements.

- Monitor and urge the implementation of signed agreements; report and seek guidance from competent authorities on issues arising in the signing and implementation of international agreements in the locality.

16. Regarding foreign non-governmental work:

- Act as the focal point to assist the provincial People's Committee in performing the state management of activities of foreign non-governmental organizations in the locality; give opinions on the grant, extension, amendment, supplement and revocation of the Registration Certificate and other activities of local foreign non-governmental organizations; guide and assist foreign non-governmental organizations in procedures and in surveying, developing and implementing funded projects in accordance with law; inspect and supervise activities of organizations and employees working for foreign non-governmental organizations in the locality; report to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Working Committee on foreign non-governmental organizations according to regulations.

- Manage cooperation activities and lobbying for non-refundable aid that is not part of official development assistance of local foreign NGOs; develop programs and plans; and support agencies, units, and localities in mobilizing non-refundable aid that is not part of official development assistance of foreign non-governmental organizations.

- Coordinate in appraising programs, projects, and grants that are not part of official development assistance of foreign non-governmental organizations, ensuring foreign political requirements.

- Recruit and manage Vietnamese employees working for foreign non-governmental organizations operating locally in cases where the Ministry of Foreign Affairs decentralizes, authorizes, assigns tasks, places orders, or bids.

- Be the standing body of the local Foreign Non-Governmental Working Committee (for localities where there is a Foreign Non-Governmental Working Committee).

17. Regarding diplomatic inspection:

- Carry out administrative inspection and specialized inspection in the locality according to regulations.

- Perform the task of settling complaints and denunciations and preventing and combating corruption according to regulations. To guide and inspect the units under the Department to implement the general provisions of the law on inspection, settlement of complaints and denunciations, and anti-corruption as prescribed.

- Propose to suspend the implementation or cancel the illegal regulations discovered through the inspection. Monitor, urge and examine the implementation of conclusions, recommendations, and decisions on handling inspection.

18. Regarding the work of fostering foreign professional knowledge:

- Propose, develop, and organize the implementation of programs to foster professional knowledge of foreign affairs for local officials and civil servants.

- Act as the focal point to coordinate with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and relevant agencies in implementing training programs on foreign affairs and international integration for local officials and civil servants.

19. Making periodic and irregular reports on the performance of foreign affairs tasks as prescribed.

20. Implementing administrative reform according to the objectives and contents of the administrative reform program of the provincial People's Committee; organizing the application of science and technology, building an information system and archiving databases in service of state management and foreign affairs; coordinating with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to build a database system on local foreign activities nationwide.

21. Specifying the functions, tasks, powers, and working relationships of the units under the Department; managing organizational structure, payroll, implementing salary regimes, policies, and remuneration regimes, training, fostering, appointment, dismissal, emulation - commendation and discipline for civil servants, public employees, and employees under the management of the Department in accordance with the law and as assigned or authorized by the People's Committee of the province.

22. Managing the assigned finances and assets and organizing the implementation of the allocated budget according to the provisions of law and the decentralization of the People's Committee of the province.

23. Guiding and inspecting the implementation of the mechanisms of autonomy and self-responsibility by public non-business organizations under the Department of Foreign Affairs in accordance with law.

24. Performing other tasks assigned by the People's Committee of the province or the President of the People's Committee of the province.

Duong Chau Thanh

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