CIRCULAR

PROVIDING GUIDANCE\r\nON SEVERAL FORESTRY ACTIVITIES FOR IMPLEMENTATION OF SUSTAINABLE FORESTRY\r\nDEVELOPMENT PROGRAM AND NATIONAL TARGET PROGRAM FOR SOCIO-ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT\r\nOF ETHNIC MINORITY AREAS AND MOUNTAINOUS REGIONS FOR 2021-2030 PERIOD, STAGE 1:\r\nFROM 2021 TO 2025

Pursuant to the Government's Decree No.\r\n15/2017/ND-CP dated February 17, 2017, defining the functions, tasks, powers\r\nand organizational structure of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural\r\nDevelopment;

Pursuant to the Law on Forestry No. 16/2017/QH14\r\ndated November 15, 2017;

Pursuant to the Government's Decree No.\r\n27/2022/ND-CP dated April 19, 2022 on the mechanism for management and\r\nimplementation of national target programs;

Pursuant to the Prime Minister’s Decision No.\r\n39/2021/QD-TTg dated December 30, 2021 on distribution principles, criteria and\r\nnorms of central budget funds and proportions of counterpart funds of local\r\nbudgets for implementation of the National Target Program for socio-economic\r\ndevelopment of ethnic minority areas and mountainous regions during the 2021 –\r\n2030 period, stage 1: from 2021 to 2025;

In implementing the Prime Minister’s Decision\r\nNo. 1719/QD-TTg dated October 14, 2021 on the National Target Programs for\r\nsocio-economic development of ethnic minority areas and mountainous regions\r\nduring the 2021 – 2030 period, stage 1: from 2021 to 2025;

In implementing the Prime Minister’s Decision\r\nNo. 809/QD-TTg dated July 12, 2022 on approval of the National Target Program\r\nfor sustainable forestry development for the 2021-2025 period;

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Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development\r\nherein promulgates the Circular providing guidance on several forestry\r\nactivities for implementation of the sustainable forestry development program\r\nand the National Target Program for socio-economic development of ethnic\r\nminority areas and mountainous regions for the 2021-2030 period, stage 1: from 2021\r\nto 2025.

Chapter I

GENERAL PROVISIONS

Article 1. Scope

This Circular provides guidance on:

1. Formulation and implementation of the annual\r\nplans for implementation of the Sustainable Forestry Development Program for\r\nthe period of 2021-2025 (hereinafter referred to as the Program) and the\r\nSub-project 1 - Sustainable agro-forestry economic development associated with\r\nprotection of forests and improvement of people's income under Project 3 -\r\nSustainable development of agricultural and forestry production, exploitation\r\nof potentials and strengths of regions for value chain-based commodity\r\nproduction under the National target program for socio-economic development of\r\nethnic minority areas and mountainous regions for the period 2021-2030, stage\r\n1: from 2021 to 2025 (hereinafter referred to as Sub-project 1).

2. Forestry activities eligible for the state\r\nbudget funding for implementation of the Program and Sub-project 1.

3. Inspection, supervision, assessment, reporting\r\nregime and implementation of the Program and Sub-project 1.

Article 2. Regulated subjects

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1. Agencies, organizations, households, individuals\r\nand residential communities involved in the implementation of the Program.

2. Households of ethnic minorities, households of\r\npoor Kinh people; population of villages in zone-II and zone-III communes of\r\nethnic minority areas and mountainous regions; organizations and individuals\r\nrelated to implementation of Sub-project 1.

Article 3. Rules of management and\r\nimplementation of the Program and Subproject 1

1. Management and implementation of the Program\r\nmust comply with the regulatory provisions of law on management of public\r\ninvestment, state budget and other relevant law. Implementation of Subproject 1\r\nmust conform to the regulations laid down in the Government's Decree No.\r\n27/2022/ND-CP dated April 19, 2022, prescribing the mechanism for management\r\nand implementation of national target programs (hereinafter referred to as\r\nDecree No. 27/2022/ND-CP) and relevant regulatory provisions.

Formulation, implementation and final accounting of\r\nstate budget for implementation of the Program and Subproject 1 shall comply\r\nwith current regulations and instructions of the Ministry of Finance.\r\nManagement, payment and settlement of public investment funds shall be subject\r\nto the Government’s Decree No. 99/2021/ND-CP dated November 11, 2021,\r\nprescribing management, payment and settlement of financial obligations of\r\nstate capital-funded projects and the Circular No. 96/2021/TT-BTC dated\r\nNovember 11, 2021 of the Minister of Finance, prescribing forms and charts used\r\nfor final settlement.

2. Carrying out forestry activities in line with\r\ncontent of Program and Subproject 1 and avoiding any overlap with content of\r\nand funding for other national target programs, programs and projects.

a) Forestry activities that are carried out within\r\nor near special-use forests managed by, and local community residing at the\r\nbuffer zones of special-use forests that receives support from, Special-use Forest\r\nManagement Boards; ​​natural forests serving as production forests managed by\r\nforestry companies structured and reformed under the Government's Decree No.\r\n118/2014/ND-CP dated December 17, 2014 on arrangement, reform, development and\r\nimprovement of the operational efficiency of agro-forestry companies\r\n(hereinafter referred to as forestry companies for short), must be carried out\r\nunder jurisdiction, regardless of localities where they take place; may be\r\nfunded by forest protection grants under the Program; and owners of these\r\nforests can use these grants to execute forest protection contracts according\r\nto norms, mechanisms and policies applied to respective localities;

b) Funding for forestry activities, such as\r\nhuman-assisted natural regeneration of forests; forest fire prevention and\r\ncontrol; biodiversity conservation of forest ecosystems; monitoring of forest\r\ncover changes, surveillance, evaluation and management of forest resources;\r\nissuance of certificates of sustainable forest management; planting of\r\nscattered trees; implementation of programs, schemes and plans approved by\r\ncompetent authorities; particular activities and tasks, that are carried out,\r\nregardless of localities where they take place is specified in the Program.

3. Harmoniously coordinating management measures\r\nand enhancing proper and effective integration across the Program, the National\r\nTarget Program, the Vietnam Forestry Development Strategy for the 2021-2030\r\nperiod with vision towards 2050, the agricultural restructuring plan for the\r\nperiod 2021-2025, the local socio-economic development programs, schemes,\r\nprojects and plans.

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5. Ensuring public supervision and transparency in\r\nthe process of management and implementation of the Program or Subproject 1.

Chapter II

FORMULATION AND IMPLEMENTATION OF ANNUAL PLANS

Article 4. Basis for formulation of plans

1. Government’s Decree No. 27/2022/ND-CP.

2. Prime Minister’s Decision No. 39/2021/QD-TTg\r\ndated December 30, 2021 on distribution principles, criteria and norms of\r\ncentral budget funds and proportions of counterpart funds of local budgets for\r\nimplementation of the National Target Program for socio-economic development of\r\nethnic minority areas and mountainous regions during the 2021 – 2030 period,\r\nstage 1: from 2021 to 2025.

3. Prime Minister’s Decision No. 1719/QD-TTg dated\r\nOctober 14, 2021 on approval of the National Target Program for socio-economic\r\ndevelopment of ethnic minority areas and mountainous regions during the 2021 –\r\n2030 period, stage 1: from 2021 to 2025 (hereinafter referred to as Decision\r\nNo. 1719/QD-TTg for short).

4. Prime Minister’s Decision No. 809/QD-TTg dated\r\nJuly 12, 2022 on approval of the National Target Program for sustainable\r\nforestry development for the 2021-2025 period.

5. Prime Minister’s decision to assign duties to\r\nimplement the five-year and annual plan for implementation of the national\r\ntarget program.

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7. Previous year’s results of implementation of the\r\nProgram and Subproject 1.

8. Regulations on regulatory mechanisms and\r\npolicies in force; technical standards, regulations, economic - technical\r\nnorms, spending limits according to regulations in force.

Article 5. Plan content

1. Each annual plan must contain the followings:

a) Review of implementation of the Program and\r\nSub-project 1 in the previous year with respect to the annual plan (including\r\nthe results of the implementation of the objectives and tasks; review of\r\nefficiency in mobilization, allocation and management of state budget resources\r\nand other resources);

b) Context and forecasting of advantages,\r\ndifficulties and challenges of forest protection and development activities at\r\nministries, central and local authorities during the budget period;

c) Specific objectives and requirements of the\r\nProgram and Subproject 1 in the budget period;

d) Content of; activities involved in; estimated\r\namount of allocated funds; funding structure suitable to implementation of the\r\nProgram and Subproject 1;

dd) Recommended solutions and implementation of the\r\nplan;

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2. The plan for implementation of the Program and\r\nSubproject 1 is formulated according to the instructions given in Appendix I\r\nissued together with this Circular.

Article 6. Procedures for implementation of the\r\nProgram and Subproject 1

1. Formulation of annual plans for implementation\r\nof the Program and Subproject 1 of ministries, central authorities and local\r\nauthorities shall coincide with the formulation of annual socio-economic\r\ndevelopment plans, annual plans for implementation of national target programs,\r\nannual public investment plans and annual state budget estimates.

2. By June 30 each year, entities investing in\r\nprojects or project investors shall formulate plans for implementation of the\r\nProgram and Subproject 1 in the following year, and send them to the agencies\r\nin charge of the Program or Subproject 1 of ministries, central and local\r\nauthorities for synthesis purposes, specifically as follows:

a) With respect to the Program: Specialized\r\nagencies assigned by ministries or central authorities synthesize and develop\r\nProgram implementation plans under their management; the district-level\r\nPeople's Committees synthesize and develop Program implementation plans by\r\nentities investing in construction projects or project investors under their\r\nauthority, households and individuals in districts; entities investing in\r\nprojects or project investors directly under People's Committees of provinces,\r\ndepartments or other local authorities synthesize and develop their own Program\r\nimplementation plans;

b) With respect to the Subproject 1: District-level\r\nPeople's Committees synthesize and develop plans for implementation of\r\nSubproject 1 by entities investing in projects, project investors, households\r\nand individuals in districts; entities investing in projects and project\r\ninvestors directly under People's Committees of provinces, departments or other\r\nlocal authorities synthesize and develop plans for implementation of the\r\nSubproject 1 of their own.

3. By July 15 each year, specialized agencies and\r\nassigned units shall synthesize plans for implementation of the Program and the\r\nSubproject in the following year of ministries, central authorities and local\r\nauthorities, specifically as follows:

a) With respect to the Program: Assigned\r\nspecialized agencies (for Ministries or central authorities), provincial\r\nOffices in charge of the Program, assigned specialized agencies at the\r\nprovincial level synthesize the Program implementation plans of the next year\r\nof their own and send them for public comments from relevant units (for\r\nMinistries and central authorities); submit them to the Provincial Steering\r\nCommittees on the Program for their review and approval before forwarding them\r\nto the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (Program Owner), the\r\nMinistry of Planning and Investment, and the Ministry of Finance;

b) With respect to the Subproject 1: The assigned\r\nagencies and units synthesize plans for implementation of the Subproject 1 in\r\nthe following year on their respective part, send them to Departments of\r\nAgriculture and Rural Development for review and submission thereof to the\r\nprovincial People's Committees (local agencies in charge of national target\r\nprograms), and at the same time send them to the Ministry of Agriculture and\r\nRural Development (component project owners).

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a) With respect to the Program: Sending them to the\r\nMinistry of Agriculture and Rural Development; the Ministry of Planning and\r\nInvestment; and the Ministry of Finance for synthesis purposes;

b) With respect to the Subproject 1: Sending them\r\nto the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development for synthesis of the\r\nbudgetary plans and demands for implementation of the Subproject 1 and\r\nforwarding them to the Committee for Ethnic Affairs for synthesis purposes.

5. By August 15 every year, the Office of the\r\nCentral Steering Committee for implementation of the Program and the assigned\r\nspecialized agencies synthesize and submit to the Ministry of Agriculture and\r\nRural Development the proposed plans for the implementation of the Program in\r\nthe following year on the nationwide scale, and send them to the Ministry of\r\nPlanning and Investment and the Ministry of Finance.

6. By December 31 of each year, Ministries, central\r\nand local authorities implementing the Program allocate agencies and units\r\nunder their direct control the objectives, tasks and detailed annual state\r\nbudget estimates according to the contents and items of the Program.

For the Subproject 1, assignment and allocation of\r\nplans shall be subject to the Decree No. 27/2022/ND-CP and other relevant\r\nwritten documents on guidance for implementation of the Decision No.\r\n1719/QD-TTg.

Chapter III

FORESTRY ACTIVITIES ELIGIBLE FOR STATE BUDGET FUNDING\r\nFOR IMPLEMENTATION OF SUSTAINABLE FORESTRY DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

Section 1. ACTIVITIES FUNDED BY STATE BUDGET\r\nALLOCATIONS

Article 7. Forest protection contracting

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Forests shall be entrusted by the State to the\r\nSpecial-use Forest Management Board and the Protection Forest Management Board;\r\n​​special-use forests and protection forests shall be entrusted by the State to\r\neconomic organizations and armed forces units; forests not yet entrusted or\r\nlent out shall be put under the control of the People's Committees of communes,\r\nwards and townships (hereinafter collectively referred to as People's\r\nCommittees of communes).

2. Forest protection contract assignor:

a) Special-use Forest Management Board; Protection\r\nForest Management Board; agro-forestry companies prescribed in clause 1 of\r\nArticle 2 in the Government’s Decree No. 168/2016/ND-CP dated December 27, 2016\r\nproviding for contracting of forests, orchards and water surface areas within\r\nthe special-use forest or protection forest Management Board and the\r\nstate-owned Agricultural and Forestry Single-member Limited Liability Company\r\n(hereinafter referred to as Decree No. 168/2016/ND-CP);

b) Organizations and units assigned to be in charge\r\nof forests that are referred to in clause 2, 3 and 4 of Article 8 in the Law on\r\nForestry;

c) Commune-level People’s Committees.

3. Forest protection contract assignee:

a) Households and individuals lawfully residing in\r\nthe localities (e.g. communes, wards, townships) as referred to in the\r\nregulatory provisions of the 2020 Law on Residence; residential community in\r\naccordance with the regulatory provisions of the 2017 Law on Forestry where the\r\ncontract assignor is located;

b) Locally-garrisoned armed force units; local\r\nsocio-political organizations.

4. Criteria for identification of the assignor and\r\nthe assignee: The criteria are subject to Article 4 in the Decree\r\nNo.168/2016/ND-CP. For forest areas that have not been assigned or leased under\r\nthe management of the commune-level People's Committees or the forest areas\r\nassigned to organizations or units, the assignor must be the commune-level\r\nPeople's Committee, the managing organization and unit while the assignee can\r\nbe any of those referred to in clause 3 of this Article.

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b) Amount of grant: The amount shall be subject to\r\nthe regulatory provisions of clause 3 of Article 6 in the Prime Minister’s\r\nDecision No. 38/2016/QD-TTg dated September 14, 2016 on issuance of a number of\r\npolicies on forest protection and development and offer of grants invested in\r\ndevelopment of infrastructure and assignment of public sector duties with\r\nrespect to agro-forestry companies (hereinafter referred to as Decision No.\r\n38/2016/QD-TTg);

b) Limit of grant: The limit on financial support\r\nshall be subject to clause 2 of Article 6 in the Decree No. 168/2016/ND-CP.

6. For forest areas assigned to the Special-use\r\nForest Management Board or the Forestry Company, grants referred to in Article\r\n8 and 9 herein shall be used for entering into the contract for the forest\r\nprotection task; the amount of funding for such contract shall be subject to\r\nclause 5 of this Article.

7. Assignment form:

a) Such assignment shall be bound to annual\r\ncontracts as per Article 8 in the Decree No.168/2016/ND-CP;

b) Every year, the assignor shall conduct the\r\ntesting and assessment of the assignee’s fulfillment of contractual obligations\r\nunder the Circular No. 15/2019/TT-BNNPTNT dated October 30, 2019 of the\r\nMinister of Agriculture and Rural Development, providing guidance on a number\r\nof tasks involved in management of silvicultural projects (hereinafter referred\r\nto as Circular No. 15/2019/TT-BNNPTNT).

Article 8. Management and protection of\r\nspecial-use forests; support for population residing at buffer zones of\r\nspecial-use forests

1. Eligible beneficiaries: Special-use Forest\r\nManagement Boards; population residing at buffer zones of special-use forests.

2. Funding details:

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b) Financial support for investment in the\r\npopulation residing at buffer zones, including: Capacity building for\r\nproduction development (agricultural extension, forestry extension, plant\r\nvarieties, animal breeds, small-scale agro-forestry processing equipment);\r\nsupport for provision of construction materials for villages (for public works\r\nserving community, such as potable water, electricity, lighting, communication,\r\nvillage roads, cultural houses...).

3. Permitted amount:

a) Permitted amount of grant spent on management of\r\nspecial-use forest protection: This is subject to clause 2 of Article 7 in the\r\nPrime Minister's 24/2012/QD-TTg dated June 1, 2012 on policies for investment\r\nin development of special-use forests for the period of 2011-2020 (hereinafter\r\nreferred to as Decision No. 24/2012/QD-TTg);

b) Grants offered to population residing at buffer\r\nzones of special-use forests: These grants shall be subject to clause 1 of\r\nArticle 8 in the Decision No. 24/2012/QD-TTg.

4. Support method: Grants are offered annually\r\naccording to approval from competent authorities under law on state budget.

Article 9. Financial support for protection of\r\nproduction forests that are natural forests during closing time

1. Target forests:

a) Production forests that are natural forests\r\nunder the management of forestry companies;

b) Production forests that are natural forests\r\nmanaged by special-use forest management boards, protection forest management\r\nboards, organizations, households, individuals, local community, and\r\ncommune-level People's Committees in areas other than zone-II and zone-III\r\ncommunes according to the Prime Minister’s Decision No. 861/QD-TTg dated June\r\n4, 2021 on approval for the list of communes in zone-III, zone-II and zone-I\r\ncommunes in ethnic minority and mountainous areas in the period of 2021-2025.

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a) Forestry companies;

b) Special-use forest management boards, protection\r\nforest management boards, organizations, households, individuals, local\r\ncommunity, commune-level People's Committees. Grants shall be offered as from 2023.

3. Eligibility criteria:

a) Grantees-to-be must be those referred to in\r\nclause 2 of this Article;

b) They must hold land-use right certificates or\r\ndecisions on assignment or lease of land; decisions on assignment of forests\r\nissued by competent authorities. As for forest areas under the management of\r\ncommune-level People’s Committees, decisions on announcement of current state\r\nof forests issued by local authorities of districts are required.

c) Their forest protection results have already\r\nbeen successfully tested.

4. Permitted amount:

a) Forestry companies: The amount shall be subject\r\nto clause 3 of Article 6 in the Decision No. 38/2016/QD-TTg;

b) Forest management boards, commune-level People's\r\nCommittees, households, individuals, local community and organizations that are\r\nassigned production forests that are natural forests by the State according to\r\nthe Ministry of Finance's regulations on management and use of state budget\r\nallocations for implementation of the Program.

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a) Forestry companies: Their results are tested\r\naccording to the Circular No. 15/2019/TT-BNNPTNT;

b) Forest management boards, organizations that are\r\nassigned natural production forests by the State, and commune-level People's\r\nCommittees: Grants are offered annually according to budget estimates approved\r\nby competent authorities under law on state budget;

c) Households and local community: Each year,\r\ncommune-level People's Committees shall assume the prime responsibility for,\r\nand cooperate with local forest rangers in, checking and assessing the results\r\nof forest protection for each grantee defined in the Circular No.\r\n15/2019/TT-BNNPTNT. Annually tested forest protection results shall serve as a\r\nbasis for fund payment and settlement.

Article 10. Human-assisted regeneration of\r\nforests

1. Human-assisted natural regeneration:

a) Target area of land: Plots of ​​land planned for\r\nthe development of protection forests, special-use forests and production\r\nforests needing human-assisted natural regeneration must satisfy the criteria\r\ndefined in clause 1 of Article 4 in the Circular No. 29/2018/TT-BNNPNT dated\r\nNovember 16, 2018 of the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development on\r\nsilvicultural measures (hereinafter referred to as Circular No.\r\n29/2018/TT-BNNPNT);

b) Eligible beneficiaries: Organizations,\r\nindividuals, households and local community that carry out the practice of\r\nhuman-assisted natural regeneration on the land area planned for the\r\ndevelopment of protection forests, special-use forests and production forests\r\nwhich are assigned natural forests;

c) Eligibility criteria: Grantees-to-be must be\r\nthose defined in point a and b of this clause; holding land use right\r\ncertificates and decisions on assignment or lease of land issued by competent\r\nauthorities or permanently using the land within the period of more than 3\r\nyears without any dispute; complete the task of human-assisted natural\r\nregeneration and have results of this practice successfully tested;

d) Amount of grant: The amount shall be subject to\r\npoint a of clause 4 of Article 6 in the Decision No. 38/2016/QD-TTg;

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2. Human-assisted natural regeneration with\r\nplanting of additional trees:

a) Target area of land: Plots of ​​land planned for\r\nthe development of protection forests, special-use forests, production forests\r\nand others needing human-assisted natural regeneration with planting of\r\nadditional trees that satisfy the criteria defined in clause 1 of Article 5 in\r\nthe Circular No. 29/2018/TT-BNNPNT;

b) Eligible beneficiaries: Entities, person,\r\nhouseholds and local community carrying out the practice of human-assisted\r\nnatural regeneration with planting of silvicultural trees.

Ethnic minority households, poor Kinh households in\r\nzone-II and zone-III communes shall be subject to the regulatory provisions of\r\nArticle 19 in this Circular.

c) Eligibility criteria: Grantees-to-be must be\r\nthose defined in point a and b of this clause; holding land use right\r\ncertificates and decisions on assignment or lease of land issued by competent\r\nauthorities or permanently using the land within the period of more than 3\r\nyears without any dispute; complete the task of human-assisted natural\r\nregeneration with planting of additional trees in accordance with the approved\r\ndesign, budget estimate, and have results of this practice successfully tested;\r\n

d) Amount of grant: The amount shall be subject to\r\npoint b of clause 4 of Article 6 in the Decision No. 38/2016/QD-TTg;

dd) Financial support method: Grants are offered\r\nbased on results of the practice of human-assisted natural regeneration with\r\nplanting of additional trees by the eligible beneficiaries defined in point b\r\nof this clause that are successfully tested according to the Circular No. 15/2019/TT-BNNPTNT.\r\n

Article 11. Conferral of sustainable forest\r\nmanagement certificates

1. Eligible certificate holders: If local\r\ncommunity, households in group, separate households and individuals own forest\r\nareas, in order to get sustainable forest management certificates, they must\r\nsatisfy the conditions prescribed in point a of clause 2 of Article 17 in the\r\nCircular No. 28/2018/TT-BNNPTNT dated November 16, 2018 of the Minister of\r\nAgriculture and Rural Development, prescribing sustainable forest management.

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Article 12. Support for scattered tree planting\r\nactivities

1. Eligible beneficiaries: Entities, households,\r\nindividuals and local community performing the practice of scattered\r\nafforestation.

2. Funding details:

a) Support provided for use in organizing tree\r\nplanting Spring Festival and other scattered tree planting activities;

b) Support for activities like examining,\r\nmonitoring, stimulating and tracking implementation of scattered tree planting;\r\nimplementing the Project on planting 1 billion of trees in the 2021-2025 period\r\naccording to the Prime Minister's Decision No. 524/QD-TTg dated April 1, 2021;

c) Partial funding for purchase of plant varieties\r\nfor use in the practice of scattered tree planting.

3. Amounts of grants to be offered and method for\r\noffering of grants shall be subject to clause 5 of Article 5 in the Decision\r\nNo. 38/2016/QD-TTg.

4. Support method: Grants are offered annually\r\naccording to approval from competent authorities under law on state budget.

Article 13. Local (commune-level) forest\r\nprotection

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2. Funding details:

a) Funding for management and protection of forests\r\ndirectly managed by the commune-level People's Committees, including:\r\nmaintaining the activities of neighborhood groups and sub-groups to protect\r\nforests; propagating, disseminating and providing education about forest\r\nprotection law; labor contracts for forest protection, forest fire prevention\r\nand fighting and other activities involved in forest management and protection\r\nduties;

b) Funding for conducting the task of prevention\r\nand control of deforestation, forest fire prevention and control, including:\r\nformulating plans for forest fire prevention and control; organizing forest\r\nfire drills; training sessions for people participating in forest fire fighting\r\nactivities; offering support to forest protection and fighting participants\r\nsuffering accidents; carrying out activities of the Steering Committees on urgent\r\nissues in forest protection, fire prevention and fighting at the commune level.

3. Permitted amount: The amount of grant is subject\r\nto clause 1 of Article 3 in the Prime Minister's Decision No. 07/2012/QD-TTg\r\ndated February 8, 2012 promulgating a number of policies to strengthen forest\r\nprotection.

For natural production forests directly managed by\r\ncommune-level People's Committees, such amount shall be as stated in Article 9\r\nof this Circular.

4. Support method: Grants are offered annually\r\naccording to approval from competent authorities under law on state budget.

Article 14. Regular duties of Steering\r\nCommittees and Offices thereof

1. Duties and functions of each Steering Committee,\r\nincluding: Conducting the inspection of the implementation of the Program; the\r\nirregular inspection of areas heavily affected by deforestation, forest fire\r\nprevention and fighting, illegal trade in forest products; performing other\r\ntasks according to the Working Regulations of the Steering Committee.

2. Duties of Offices of Steering Committees,\r\nOffices in charge of the Program of provinces: These duties must conform to the\r\nplans approved by Steering Committees.

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a) At the central level: Funds for performance of\r\nduties of Steering Committees and Offices thereof are integrated into annual\r\nbudgets of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. For specific\r\nactivities involved in the Program, funds must conform to the approved proposal\r\nfor budget for implementation of the Program;

b) At the provincial level: Funds for performance\r\nof duties of Steering Committees and Offices in charge of the Program of\r\nprovinces are integrated into the annual budgets of provinces and\r\ncentrally-affiliated cities. For specific activities involved in the Program,\r\nfunds must conform to the proposal for budget for implementation of the Program\r\napproved by competent authorities.

Article 15. Particular activities and projects

1. Particular activities and projects serving the\r\npurpose of implementing the Program, including:

a) Forest fire prevention and fighting; building,\r\ncompleting and operating forest surveillance systems that can automatically detect\r\nforest fires and deforestation; capacity building training for rangers and\r\nforest protection forces; patrolling with the aim of preventing deforestation\r\nand handling violations arising in the forestry sector; forest inventory,\r\nforest statistics and monitoring of forest resource changes;

b) Collecting specimens of forest creatures;\r\nprotecting and developing precious and rare endangered species of forest plants\r\nand animals; conserving and monitoring biodiversity of forest ecosystems;\r\nrescuing endangered forest animals and plants; environmental education; museum\r\nactivities; preventing and controlling harmful organisms; surveying and\r\nplanting boundary markers of forest areas;

c) Capacity building on sustainable forest\r\nmanagement;

d) Investigating, evaluating and monitoring\r\nnational forest resources; applying advanced and modern technologies in\r\nmanagement, investigation and monitoring of forest resources; developing\r\nindustry-specific management information and digital transformation systems in\r\nthe forestry sector;

dd) Tasks and solutions to implement the Strategy,\r\nProgram, Scheme and Project approved by the competent authorities;

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2. Implementation method: Units and localities\r\ndevelop, approve and deploy activities and projects directly managed by the\r\nunits, ensuring conformity with the contents and compliance with the provisions\r\nof the State Budget Law and other regulatory provisions of relevant\r\nlegislation.

a) The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural\r\nDevelopment formulates, approves and implements activities and projects managed\r\nby units under the Ministry;

b) Ministries, central and local authorities shall\r\ndevelop, approve and implement activities and projects directly managed by\r\nunits under ministries, central and local authorities.

Section 2. ACTIVITIES FUNDED BY INVESTMENTS FOR\r\nDEVELOPMENT

Article 16. Silvicultural activities funded by\r\ninvestments for development

1. The activities entitled to investment\r\npreferences and incentives from the Program: These activities are the same as\r\nthose specified in section IV of Article 1 in the Prime Minister’s Decision No.\r\n809/QD-TTg dated July 12, 2022 on approval of the National Target Program for\r\nsustainable forestry development for the 2021-2025 period.

2. Investing method: Complying with the provisions\r\nof the Law on Public Investment, the plan for the medium-term public investment\r\nof state budget capital for the period 2021-2025 and instructional documents\r\nthereof.

Chapter IV

FORESTRY ACTIVITIES ELIGIBLE FOR THE STATE BUDGET\r\nALLOCATIONS FOR IMPLEMENTATION OF THE SUB-PROJECT 1

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1. Target forests: Forest areas assigned by the\r\nstate to protection forest, special-use management boards, protection forests\r\nassigned by the state to economic organizations; natural forest areas directly\r\nmanaged by commune-level People’s Committees.

2. Eligible beneficiaries:

a) Households of ethnic minorities and poor Kinh\r\nhouseholds that are living stably in communes with difficult socio-economic\r\nconditions (zone II and III) in ethnic minority areas and mountainous areas\r\naccording to the criteria prescribed by the Prime Minister (hereinafter\r\nreferred to as households) may be contracted to protect forests;

b) Local community at villages in communes with\r\ndifficult socio-economic conditions (zone II and III) within ethnic minorities\r\nand mountainous areas according to the criteria prescribed by the Prime\r\nMinister (hereinafter referred to as local community for short) may be\r\ncontracted to protect forests.

3. Assignor and assignee:

a) Assignor, including: Protection forest\r\nmanagement boards, economic organizations, commune-level People's Committees;

b) Assignee, including: Households and local\r\ncommunity.

4. Amounts and limits of forest protection grants:

a) Amounts of grants offered for forest protection\r\ncontracts: Subject to Point a, Clause 3, Article 3 of the Government’s Decree\r\nNo. 75/2015/ND-CP dated September 9, 2015 on mechanisms and policies for forest\r\nprotection and development, associated with the policy of rapid and sustainable\r\npoverty reduction and support granted to ethnic minorities in the period\r\n2015-2020 (hereinafter referred to as Decree No. 75/2015/ND-CP);

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5. For forest areas assigned to the Special-use\r\nForest Management Boards, forest protection grants referred to in Article 8\r\nherein shall be used for entering into forest protection contracts with regard\r\nto beneficiaries defined in clause 2 of this Article; the amount of grant for\r\nsuch contract shall be subject to point b of clause 4 of this Article.

6. Assignment form:

a) Such assignment shall be bound to annual\r\ncontracts as per Article 8 in the Decree No.168/2016/ND-CP;

b) Every year, the assignor shall conduct the\r\ntesting and assessment of the assignee’s fulfillment of contractual obligations\r\nunder the Circular No. 15/2019/TT-BNNPTNT;

c) Annually tested forest protection results shall\r\nserve as a basis for fund payment and settlement.

Article 18. Forest protection support

1. Target forests: Protection forests or production\r\nforests that are natural forests.

2. Eligible beneficiaries: Households and local\r\ncommunity in zone II and zone III communes that carry out the practice of\r\nprotection of area of ​​protection forests and production forests which are\r\nassigned natural forests.

3. Eligibility criteria:

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b) Grantees-to-be must be those holding land use\r\nright certificates and decisions on assignment or lease of land issued by\r\ncompetent authorities or permanently using the land within the period of more\r\nthan 3 years without any dispute;

c) Their forest protection results have already\r\nbeen successfully tested by commune-level People’s Committees.

4. Permitted amount: Subject to point a of clause 3\r\nof Article 4 in the Decree No. 75/2015/ND-CP.

5. Support method: Grants are offered based on\r\nforest protection results of the beneficiaries referred to in clause 2 of this\r\nArticle, specifically including:

a) Each year, commune-level People's Committees\r\nshall assume the prime responsibility for, and cooperate with local forest\r\nrangers in, checking and assessing the results of forest protection for each\r\ngrantee defined in the Circular No. 15/2019/TT-BNNPTNT.

b) Annually tested forest protection results shall\r\nserve as a basis for fund payment and settlement.

Article 19. Support for human-assisted natural\r\nregeneration with planting of additional trees

1. Target area of land: Plots of ​​land planned for\r\nthe development of protection forests, special-use forests, production forests\r\nand others needing human-assisted natural regeneration with planting of\r\nadditional trees that satisfy the criteria defined in Article 5 in the Circular\r\nNo. 29/2018/TT-BNNPNT.

2. Eligible beneficiaries: Households that carry\r\nout the practice of human-assisted natural regeneration with planting of\r\nadditional trees on area of protection forests and production forests which are\r\nassigned natural forests.

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a) Grantees-to-be must be those referred to in\r\nclause 2 of this Article;

b) They must hold land-use right certificates or\r\ndecisions on assignment of land issued by competent authorities;

c) Carry out the practice of human-assisted natural\r\nregeneration with planting of additional trees according to the Circular No.\r\n15/2019/TT-BNNPTNT. The local agency approving the design and cost estimate\r\nshall be decided by the President of the People's Committee of the province;

d) Their human-assisted natural regeneration with\r\nplanting of additional trees has been successfully tested by commune-level\r\nPeople’s Committees.

4. Permitted amount: Subject to point b of clause 3\r\nof Article 4 in the Decree No. 75/2015/ND-CP.

5. Support method: Grants are offered based on\r\nresults of the practice of human-assisted natural regeneration with planting of\r\nadditional trees according to clause 2 of this Article. Implementation shall be\r\nsubject to instructions given in point a and b of clause 5 of Article 18 herein.

Article 20. Support for the practice of growing\r\nproduction forests timber species and non-timber forest products

1. Target area of land: Forest land area planned\r\nfor production forest development according to the regulatory provisions of\r\nCircular No. 29/2018/TT-BNNPNT.

2. Eligible beneficiaries: Households that grow\r\nproduction forests with timber species and non-timber forest products on the\r\nassigned forest land planned for development of production forests.

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a) Grantees-to-be must be those referred to in\r\nclause 2 of this Article;

b) Grantees-to-be must be those holding land use\r\nright certificates and decisions on assignment or lease of land issued by\r\ncompetent authorities or permanently using the land within the period of more than\r\n3 years without any dispute;

c) Planting production forests with timber species\r\nand non-timber forest products according to the approved design and budget\r\nestimate according to the regulatory provisions of the Circular No.\r\n15/2019/TT-BNNPTNT for the form of investment support. The local agency\r\napproving the design and cost estimate shall be decided by the President of the\r\nPeople's Committee of the province;

d) Their production forest planting results have\r\nalready been successfully tested by commune-level People’s Committees.

4. Permitted amount: Subject to clause 2 of Article\r\n5 in the Decree No. 75/2015/ND-CP.

5. Support method: Grants are offered based on\r\nproduction forest planting results of the beneficiaries referred to in clause 2\r\nof this Article. Implementation shall be subject to instructions given in point\r\na and b of clause 5 of Article 18 herein.

6. Supporting form: Subject to clause 6 of Article\r\n5 in the Decision No. 38/2016/QD-TTg.

Article 21. Financial support for planting\r\nprotection forests

1. Target area of land: Forest land area planned\r\nfor protection forest development according to the regulatory provisions of\r\nCircular No. 29/2018/TT-BNNPNT.

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3. Eligibility criteria:

a) Grantees-to-be must be those referred to in\r\nclause 2 of this Article;

b) Grantees-to-be must be those holding land use\r\nright certificates and decisions on assignment or lease of land issued by\r\ncompetent authorities or permanently using the land within the period of more\r\nthan 3 years without any dispute;

c) Planting protection forests according to the\r\napproved design and budget estimate under the regulatory provisions of the\r\nCircular No. 15/2019/TT-BNNPTNT for the form of investment support. The local\r\nagency approving the design and cost estimate shall be decided by the President\r\nof the People's Committee of the province;

d) Their protection forest planting results have\r\nalready been successfully tested by commune-level People’s Committees.

4. Permitted amount: Subject to regulatory\r\nprovisions laid down in clause 1 of Article 6 in the Decision No.\r\n38/2016/QD-TTg.

5. Support method: Grants are offered based on\r\nprotection forest planting results of the beneficiaries referred to in clause 2\r\nof this Article. Implementation shall be subject to instructions given in point\r\na and b of clause 5 of Article 18 herein.

6. Supporting form: Subject to clause 6 of Article\r\n5 in the Decision No. 38/2016/QD-TTg.

Article 22. Donation of rice for forest\r\nprotection and development activities

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2. Donation amount: 15 kg of rice/person/month or\r\nin cash equivalent to the value of 15 kg of rice/person/month at the time of\r\ndonation (at the locally quoted prices) during the period when beneficiaries\r\nare not self-sufficient in food. Presidents of provincial-level People's\r\nCommittees shall be accorded authority to decide on the beneficiaries and the\r\nspecific donation amounts according to the actual area of land, the number of\r\npeople and the duration of donation, but not exceeding 7 years.

3. Eligibility criteria:

a) Donatees-to-be must be those referred to in\r\nclause 1 of this Article;

b) Donatees-to-be defined in Article 18, 20 and 21\r\nherein must hold land use right certificates and decisions on assignment or\r\nlease of land issued by competent authorities or permanently use the land\r\nwithin the period of more than 3 years without any dispute; Donatees-to-be must\r\ncarry out the practice of forest protection under Article 18; the practice of\r\nhuman-assisted natural regeneration with planting of additional trees under\r\nArticle 19; plant production forests with timber species or non-timber forestry\r\nproducts under Article 20 and plant protection forests under Article 21 herein\r\nand have their performance results tested by competent authorities;

c) Donatees-to-be must hold forest protection\r\ncontracts under clause 6 of Article 17; carry out the forest protection\r\ncontract under Article 17 herein and have their results of execution of forest\r\nprotection contracts tested by competent authorities on an annual basis.

4. Types of rice to be donated must conform to\r\nnational technical regulations on nationally reserved rice that are in force. Provincial\r\nPeople’s Committees shall consider permitting types of rice meeting consumption\r\nneeds or manufactured locally.

5. Rice donation procedures are as follows:

a) Provincial-level People's Committees shall\r\nassign tasks to project investors or affiliated organizations and units to\r\ndevelop rice donation projects for the purposes of protection of forests,\r\nhuman-assisted natural regeneration with additional trees, planting of\r\nprotection forests, production forests and development of non-timber forestry\r\nproducts; organize the provision of rice to each household in the project area\r\nperiodically at each village where a household resides. Depending on the actual\r\nlocal situation, the People's Committees of provinces shall decide the number\r\nof donation times and the amount of donated rice, but not exceeding once every\r\n3 (three) months;

b) Based on the approved project and the guidance\r\nin this Circular, the project investor or the organization or unit assigned to\r\ndonate rice shall make a list of participating households, the amount of rice\r\ndonated to each household by completing the Form No. 01 and Form No. 02 in\r\nAppendix II issued together with this Circular.

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Chapter V

INSPECTION, SUPERVISION, ASSESSMENT, REPORTING REGIME

Section 1. INSPECTING, SUPERVISING AND ASSESSING\r\nTHE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PROGRAM

Article 23. Inspecting and supervising the\r\nProgram

1. The Program’s Steering Committee, the Ministry\r\nof Agriculture and Rural Development, ministries, central and local authorities\r\nshall inspect and supervise the entire procedures for implementation of the\r\nProgram according to their functions and tasks.

2. Inspected or supervised issues:

a) Progress in implementation of regulations on\r\nmaking and assigning Program implementation plans; monitoring and evaluation of\r\nthe Program;

b) Progress in implementation of the Program:\r\nResults of fulfillment of objectives and requirements; the task of management,\r\nuse and disbursement of funds and debts accrued;

c) Program organization and coordination.

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Article 24. Program implementation assessment

1. Program assessment, including: In-process\r\nassessment; closing assessment, spontaneous assessment of implementation of the\r\nProgram and assessment of the Program’s impacts.

2. Activities involved in the assessment:

a) In-progress assessment of implementation of the\r\nProgram, including: Alignment of the results of the implementation of the\r\nProgram with the objectives of the Program; the degree of completion of the\r\nProgram's objectives and tasks up to the time of evaluation compared with the\r\nplan; progress in mobilization, allocation and use of funds for the\r\nimplementation of the Program; recommendations about necessary solutions to\r\nfulfillment of the Program's objectives and tasks in the stated period\r\n(including proposals for adjustment to the Program when necessary);

b) Upon-completion assessment, including:\r\nEvaluating the management, administration and implementation of the Program;\r\nevaluating the coordination, cooperation and responsibilities of relevant\r\nagencies in the process of managing and controlling the Program; results of the\r\nimplementation of the Program's specific objectives, targets and tasks;\r\nevaluating the results of mobilization, allocation and use of funding for the\r\nimplementation of the Program;

c) Unscheduled assessment of implementation of the\r\nProgram conducted when unexpected issues arise or upon the request of competent\r\nauthority. Assessment content: The content specified in point a of this clause;\r\nidentification of unexpected events (if any), causes thereof and\r\nresponsibilities of entities and persons involved; impacts of these unexpected\r\nevents on implementation of the Program, possibility of fulfillment of\r\nobjectives set out in the Program;

d) Impact assessment, including: Assessment of\r\nsocio-economic impacts; sustainability of the Program; influence on the\r\nProgram’s beneficiaries.

3. Conducting the Program assessment as follows:

a) The General Department of Forestry is\r\nresponsible for consulting with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural\r\nDevelopment on the comprehensive assessment of the entire Program according to\r\nthe contents specified in Clause 2 of this Article;

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4. Agencies and organizations conducting\r\nassessment: Based on actual conditions and work requirements, ministries, central\r\nand local authorities may conduct self-assessment or hire independent\r\nconsultants to assess the Program.

Section 2. INSPECTION, SUPERVISION AND\r\nASSESSMENT OF IMPLEMENTATION OF THE SUBPROJECT 1

Article 25. Inspection, supervision and\r\nassessment of implementation of the Subproject 1

1. Monitoring, inspection and supervision of\r\nimplementation of the Subproject 1:

a) The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural\r\nDevelopment and local authorities shall inspect and supervise the entire\r\nprocedures for implementation of the Subproject 1;

b) Monitored, inspected or supervised items of the\r\nSubproject 1 shall be subject to clause 3 of Article 30 in the Decree No.\r\n27/2022/ND-CP.

2. Assessment of the Subproject 1:

a) The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural\r\nDevelopment and local authorities shall have the burden of conduction the\r\ncomplete assessment of the Subproject 1;

b) Contents of the assessment of the Subproject 1\r\nshall be subject to Article 31 of the Decree No. 27/2022/ND-CP; regulatory instructions\r\nof the Committee for Ethnic Affairs and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural\r\nDevelopment.

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Article 26. Reporting regime

1. Regime for reporting of implementation of the\r\nProgram:

a) Quarterly, every 6 months, annually (on the 20^th\r\nday of the last month of the quarter, the 6-month period and year), Ministries\r\nand central authorities participating in the Program and provincial Offices in\r\ncharge of the Program, provincial assigned specialized agencies shall compile\r\nreports on the progress of the Program implementation in the areas under their\r\njurisdiction, and send it to the Office of the Central Steering Committee for\r\nimplementation of the Program for synthesis purposes. Content and forms of\r\nreports on implementation of plans are prescribed in Appendix III hereto;

b) On the 25^th day of the last month of\r\nthe quarter, the 6-month period and year of the reporting year, the Office of\r\nthe Central Steering Committee implementing the Program shall compile the\r\nreport and send it through to the Minister of Agriculture and Rural\r\nDevelopment;

c) The Office of the Central Steering Committee for\r\nthe implementation of the Program shall compile and submit the report to the\r\nGovernment’s Steering Committee on implementation of the Program every 6 months\r\nand for the whole year.

2. Regime for reporting of implementation of the\r\nSubproject 1:

a) The reporting of implementation of the\r\nSubproject 1 shall be carried out concurrently with the reporting of\r\nimplementation of the Program; Departments of Agriculture and Rural Development\r\nand the agencies are assigned to compile the report on the implementation of\r\nSubproject 1 in areas under their jurisdiction, and send it through to the\r\nMinistry of Agriculture and Rural Development;

b) The content, report form, and reporting mode\r\nshall comply with the guidelines on the procedures for monitoring and\r\nevaluation of the implementation of the National Target Program of the\r\nCommittee for Ethnic Minorities and the content and form of the report on\r\nimplementation results according to Appendix III to this Circular.

Article 27. Formulation of indices, forms and\r\nsystems for supervision and assessment

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a) Indices and forms used for monitoring and\r\nevaluation of the Program, including indices, indicators used for assessment of\r\nimplementation, performance results, impact assessment, data survey forms, and\r\nassociation with the implementation of the Strategy and indices for the\r\ndevelopment of the forestry sector;

b) Developing indices and forms used for monitoring\r\nand assessing the Subproject 1, ensuring agreement with general indices used\r\nfor supervision and assessment of implementation of national target programs\r\naccording to the regulatory provisions of the Committee for Ethnic Affairs.

2. Setting and integrating indices and forms used\r\nfor supervision of assessment of the Program or Subproject 1 in the system of\r\nassessment of forestry development targets associated with statistics in the\r\nforestry industry.

3. Taking charge of updating, maintaining and\r\ncontrolling use of data available on information system for implementation of\r\nthe Program or Subproject 1, ensuring conformance to law on sharing digital\r\ndata, cybersecurity, data or network security and other regulations in force.

Posting updated information about the Subproject 1\r\non the system for management of national target programs by project owners\r\nshall be subject to Article 32 in the Decree No. 27/2022/ND-CP.

Chapter VI

IMPLEMENTATION

Article 28. Responsibilities of the General\r\nDepartment of Forestry

1. Giving counsel and assistance to the Ministry of\r\nAgriculture and Rural Development and the central Steering Committee for\r\nimplementation of the Program:

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b) Manage and collaborate in the implementation of\r\nproactive measures to prevent and respond to emergencies arising in forest\r\nprotection, fire prevention and fighting; cooperate in inspecting forest\r\nprotection and development of local authorities, units and forest owners and\r\nurging them to perform these tasks.

2. Counsel and guide agencies, units and local\r\nauthorities in formulating plans, compiling plans and organizing the\r\nimplementation of the Program and Sub-project 1.

3. Implement, monitor, provide updated information\r\non, check and supervise the implementation of the targets and tasks of the\r\nProgram and Subproject 1.

Article 29. Responsibilities of Department of\r\nCooperatives and Rural Development, Central Office for Coordination in\r\nDevelopment of New Rural Areas

1. Department of Cooperatives and Rural\r\nDevelopment:

a) Provide counsels on and direct the implementation\r\nof assigned functions and tasks of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural\r\nDevelopment under the Prime Minister's Decision No. 1719/QD-TTg dated October\r\n14, 2021;

b) Take part in implementation, monitoring,\r\ninspection and supervision of implementation of the Subproject 1.

2. Central Office for Coordination in Development\r\nof New Rural Areas: Collaborate in carrying out activities related to\r\nimplementation of the Program.

Article 30. Responsibilities of Office of the\r\nCentral Steering Committee for implementation of the Program

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2. Collaborate in compiling and developing annual\r\nplans for implementation of the Program.

3. Act as the focal point to receive, counsel and\r\npropose actions for submittal documents of the Steering Committee, submittal\r\ndocuments of the members of the Steering Committee that are submitted to the\r\nHead and Deputy Head of the Steering Committee concerning activities falling\r\nwithin the Program’s remit.

4. Take charge of monitoring, providing updated\r\ninformation on, checking and supervising the implementation of the targets and\r\ntasks of the Program according to annual plans of agencies, units and local\r\nauthorities; organize preliminary and final review meetings on results of the\r\nProgram; build the database where the Program’s results nationwide are gathered\r\nand managed.

5. Make the estimate of costs spent on activities\r\nof the Steering Committee and Office of the Central Steering Committee on\r\nimplementation of the Program; submit it to competent authorities to seek their\r\nconsent; manage the use of human resource, funding, physical facilities,\r\nequipment, assets and other resources assigned under law.

6. Cooperate with Vietnam Administration of\r\nForestry in guiding Counsel and guide agencies, units and local authorities in\r\nformulating plans, compiling plans and organizing the implementation of the\r\nProgram and Sub-project 1.

7. Carry out other tasks assigned by the Central\r\nSteering Committee.

Article 31. Responsibilities of Ministries and\r\ncentral authorities involved in implementation of the Program

1. Prepare annual plans; cooperate with the\r\nMinistry of Agriculture and Rural Development in directing implementation of\r\nthe Program; take charge of implementing the Program at their workplace; manage\r\nbudgets and assign them to local projects.

2. Review, formulate, appraise and approve\r\nprojects; implement, manage, assess and conduct pre-acceptance testing of\r\nprojects under their jurisdiction.

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4. Report on the Program’s results; organize\r\npreliminary and final review of the Program under the guidance of the Ministry\r\nof Agriculture and Rural Development.

Article 32. Responsibilities of provincial\r\nPeople’s Committees

1. Take charge of providing instructions for and\r\ndirecting formulation of annual plans for implementation of the Program;\r\nimplement the Program and Subproject 1 under their jurisdiction; supervise,\r\nevaluate and report on results thereof.

2. Command Departments of Agriculture and Rural\r\nDevelopment to give their counsels on review, formulation, approval and\r\nimplementation of projects at local areas where the Program is carried out;\r\nplan, direct implementation of the Program and Subproject 1 at local areas\r\nunder their jurisdiction, monitor, supervise and evaluate the Program and\r\nSubproject 1.

3. Instruct Departments of Natural Resources and\r\nEnvironment to cooperate with Departments of Agriculture and Rural Development\r\nin defining boundaries and area of land planned for special-use forests,\r\nprotection forests and production forests by 2030; assign land associated with\r\nforests to entities, persons and households according to the approved plans.

4. Direct the Division on Ethnic Minorities to\r\ncooperate with Departments of Agriculture and Rural Development in carrying out\r\nplans, monitoring, supervising and evaluating the Subproject 1 at local areas\r\nunder their jurisdiction.

Article 33. Responsibilities of provincial\r\nOffices in charge of the Program

1. Develop the working plan of the provincial\r\nSteering Committee; prepare topics and agendas for meetings, conferences,\r\nworkshops and presentations at the request the Head of the provincial Steering\r\nCommittee.

2. Collaborate in compiling and developing annual\r\nplans for implementation of the Program.

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4. Take charge of monitoring, providing updated\r\ninformation on, checking and supervising the implementation of the targets and\r\ntasks of the Program according to assigned annual plans of agencies and units;\r\norganize preliminary and final review meetings on results of the Program at\r\nlocal areas under their jurisdiction.

5. Make the estimate of costs spent on activities\r\nof the Steering Committee and Office in charge of the Program; submit it to\r\ncompetent authorities to seek their consent; manage the use of human resource,\r\nfunding, physical facilities, equipment, assets and other resources assigned\r\nunder law.

6. Perform other tasks assigned by the provincial\r\nSteering Committee.

Article 34. Implementation provisions

1. This Circular shall enter into force as from the\r\nsignature date.

2. This Circular exists to annul the Circular No.\r\n21/2017/TT-BNNPTNT dated November 15, 2017 of the Minister of Agriculture and\r\nRural Development, providing guidance on implementation of the Prime Minister’s\r\nDecision No. 886/QD-TTg dated June 16, 2017 on approval of the National Target\r\nProgram for sustainable forestry development for the 2016-2020 period.

3. In case where legislative documents used as\r\nreferences in this Circular are amended or supplemented or replaced, new\r\nversions thereof shall apply.

In the course of implementation of this Circular,\r\nif there is any difficulty or query that arises, entities and persons involved\r\nshould report to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to seek its\r\ndecision on necessary amendments and supplements./.

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PP. MINISTER
\r\n DEPUTY MINISTER
\r\n
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\r\n
\r\n Le Quoc Doanh