Decision No. 06/2020/QD-TTg dated February 21, 2020 on organization and management of international conferences and seminars in Vietnam

DECISION

ORGANIZATION AND MANAGEMENT OF INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCES AND SEMINARS IN VIETNAM

Pursuant to the Law on Government Organization dated June 19, 2015;

At the request of the Minister of Foreign Affairs;

The Prime Minister promulgates a Decision on organization and management of international conferences and seminars in Vietnam.

Chapter I

GENERAL PROVISIONS

Article 1. Scope and regulated entities

1. Scope:

This Decision provides for the organization and management of international conferences and seminars in Vietnam.

International press conferences are not governed by this Decision.

2. Regulated entities:

a) This Decision applies to Vietnamese and foreign agencies and organizations (hereinafter referred to as “organizations”) organizing international conferences and seminars in the Vietnamese territory and agencies participating in the management of international conferences and seminars;

b) The organization of international conferences and seminars by the Vietnamese Fatherland Front, the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor, the Vietnam Farmer’s Union, the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union, the Vietnam Women's Union and the Vietnam Veterans’ Association must comply with Communist Party's regulations.

Article 2. Interpretation of terms

1. “international conference or seminar” means a conference or seminar involving foreign elements, which is organized in the form of a face-to-face meeting on the Vietnamese territory or in the form of an online meeting with at least one of the parties located on the Vietnamese territory, including:

a) Conferences and seminars organized by Vietnamese organizations with foreign participation or sponsorship;

b) Conferences and seminars organized by foreign organizations.

2. “organizer” means a Vietnamese or foreign organization that organizes an international or seminar in Vietnam.

3. “Vietnamese organizations” include those established under Vietnamese law and managed by the Government, central state administrative agencies and local authorities.

4. “foreign organization” means an organization which has been permitted by a competent authority to operate in the Vietnamese territory.

5. “competent person” means a person who has the power to permit or requests the Prime Minister to permit the organization of an international conference or seminar, including:

a) Minister, head of a ministerial agency or head of a governmental agency;

b) Chairperson of a People's Committee of a province or central-affiliated city (hereinafter referred to as “provincial People’s Committee”).

Chapter II

SPECIFIC PROVISIONS

Article 3. The power to permit the organization of international conferences and seminars

1. The Prime Minister shall permit the organization of the following international conferences and seminars:

a) International conferences and seminars to be attended by heads or ministerial officials or the equivalent or higher of other countries, territories or international organizations;

b) International conferences and seminars whose topics and contents are related to national sovereignty, security, national defense, ethnic groups, religion, human rights or classified as state secrets in accordance with the law on protection of state secrets.

2. Persons that have the power to decide the organization of international conferences and seminars by their agencies or local authorities and permit the following organizers to organize international conferences and seminars in the case not specified in Clause 1 of this Article:

a) Agencies and units affiliated to agencies of competent persons;

b) Vietnamese and foreign organizations that are permitted by agencies of the competent persons to operate, except the case specified in Point c of this Clause;

c) For associations, social funds and charity funds established under Vietnamese law, competent persons are heads of agencies responsible for state management of sectors and fields covered by such associations, social funds and charity funds according to the list promulgated by the Ministry of Home Affairs.

Article 4. Procedures for applying for permission and organizing international conferences and seminars

1. In case of applying for permission to organize an international conference or seminar:

a) The organizer shall submit an application to the competent person’s agency at least 40 days in advance for an international conference or seminar which is decided by the Prime Minister and at least 30 days in advance for an international conference or seminar which is decided by the competent person.

The application includes:

- An application form;

- An organization plan, which is made using the Form No. 01 hereof;

- Written opinions of concerned agencies if required by other regulations of law;

- A written consent to the policy to host the international conference or seminar (if any).

b) If the approved program, project or non-project grant aid whose components include the organization of an international conference or seminar for which an organization plan made according to the Form N0. 01 hereof is not available or the agency approving the program, project or non-project grant aid is not the agency of the competent person as prescribed in this Decision, the organizer shall follow the procedures specified in Clause 1 of this Article before organizing the international conference or seminar.

2. After obtaining permission from the competent person, the organizer shall:

a) organize the international conference or seminar according to the approved plan; comply with current financial regulations;

b) take responsibility for the contents of relevant documents, reports, discussions and data presented before, during and after the international conference or seminar and comply with regulations of law on protection of state secrets;

c) submit a report on the organization of the international conference or seminar to the agency of the competent person within 15 days from the end of the international conference or seminar, and to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs if the international conference or seminar is within Prime Minister's power to grant permission for organization thereof. (made using the Form No. 02 hereof).

Article 5. Procedures for appraising and permitting the organization of international conferences and seminars

1. For an international conference or seminar which is within the Prime Minister’s power to grant permission for organization thereof, the competent person shall:

a) send enquiry forms to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; the Ministry of Public Security; relevant agencies and local authorities. The enquired agencies and local authorities shall send written responses within 15 days from the date on which the enquiry form is received;

b) request the Prime Minister to consider the written responses;

c) send written responses to the organizer, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Public Security, relevant agencies and local authorities for cooperation purposes.

2. For an international conference or seminar which is within the Prime Minister’s power to grant permission for organization thereof, the competent person shall:

a) send enquiry forms to relevant agencies and local authorities. The enquired agencies and local authorities shall send written responses within 15 days from the date on which the enquiry form is received;

b) send written responses to the organizer, relevant agencies and local authorities for cooperation purposes.

Article 6. Organizing international conferences and seminars

1. If the organizer wishes to apply for approval for the guideline for organization of an international conference or seminar, the organizer and agency of the competent person shall comply with Article 3 and Article 5 of this Decision.

2. The application for approval shall specify the reasons, purposes, topics, expected participants and funding sources.

3. After obtaining the approval from the competent person, to the organizer shall prepare an organization plan and apply for the competent person’s permission to organize the international conference or seminar according to Article 4 of this Decision.

Article 7. Responsibility for management of international conferences and seminars

1. The Minister of Foreign Affairs shall perform the state management of international conferences and seminars nationwide.

2. Ministers, heads of ministerial agencies, heads of governmental agencies and chairpersons of provincial People's Committees shall:

a) follow the procedures for receiving appraising applications for organization of international conferences and seminars according Articles 3, 4 and 5 of this Decision; cooperate in giving opinions during the application processing by competent persons according to Article 5 of this Decision;

b) inspect and ensure that international conferences and seminars are organized according to the approved contents and plans;

c) inspect the implementation of regulations on protection of state secrets, and dissemination of information before, during and after international conferences and seminars;

d) supervise, detect and take actions against individuals and organizations that violate regulations of this Decision or request the competent person’s agency to do so.

3. If it is found that the organization of an international conference or seminar is suspected of violating regulations of this Decision, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Public Security, the agency managing the fields related to contents of the international conference or seminar or the local authority where the international conference or seminar is held shall request the competent person’s agency to consider suspending such international conference or seminar or take actions against the violation in accordance with regulations of the Law on Penalties for Administrative Violations.

Article 8. Reporting responsibility

1. By December 18, every agency of the competent person shall submit a report on the organization and management of international conferences and seminars by its agency or local authority to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which will submit a consolidated report to the Prime Minister (made using the Form No. 03 hereof).

2. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs shall submit an annual report on the organization of international conferences and seminars in Vietnam to the Prime Minister.

3. The data collection period begins from December 15 of the year immediately preceding the reporting period to December 14 of the reporting period.

Chapter III

IMPLEMENTATION CLAUSE

Article 9. Effect

This Decision takes effect on April 15, 2020, and replaces the Prime Minister's Decision No. 76/2010/QD-TTg of November 30, 2010 on the organization and management of international conferences and seminars.

Article 10. Responsibility for implementation

1. The Minister of Foreign Affairs shall direct, provide guidelines and inspect the implementation of this Decision.

2. The Minister of Home Affairs shall promulgate a list of competent persons specified in Point c Clause 2 Article 3 of this Decision and update it on an annual basis.

3. Ministers, heads of ministerial agencies, heads of Governmental agencies, Chairpersons of People's Committees of provinces and central-affiliated and heads of agencies concerned are responsible for implementing this Decision./.