The 5th Ocean Dialogue: ASEAN Cooperation in the South China Sea

Discussion

On 18. June 2019, KAS Vietnam and its partner, the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam (DAV), hosted the fifth Ocean Dialogue. The event consisted of a thorough discussion between regional and international experts which discussed the possibilities and difficulties of ASEAN cooperation concerning the South China Sea dispute. Geographically, the dispute lies at the heart of ASEAN and is troubling the region ever since. At the centre of the discussion were traditional key issues such as the high-military equipment and the Sino-US competition in the region as well as non-traditional issues, for instance environmental-pollution and how a future cooperation in the region could look like. Mr. Edcel Ibarra, from the Philippines' Foreign Service Institute, elaborated two possible future senarios: The ASEAN + and the ASEAN – cases. In the first one, the non-claiming states would be engaged in multilateral agreements and discussions while in the second one, only claiming states would participate in the talks, which would have a huge risk of marginalizing the other states. Participants had the opportunity to share their opinions and raise questions in the end. The dispute remains topical which is why KAS and its partner (DAV) are looking forward to the next Ocean Dialogue.

The use of database management software for the service of the people’s petitions

Training

On 24. and 25. June 2019, the Comission on People’s Petition of the Standing Committee of the Vietnam National Assembly in cooperation with KAS organized a training program for the handling of online petitions. In times of digitalization, citizens have numerous new ways to participate in the political life through the internet. To analyze and respond adequately to online petition, the committee developed a software which combines the possibility for citizens to submit petitions and enables the committee to examine them. In order to deal with the challenges and opportunities of the software, the training seminar provided skills and technique in using software to analyze the data and to answer voters’ petitions. Participants were encouraged to ask questions and to give feedback on the practical use of the software.

The Law on Handling Administrative Violations needs amendments

Seminar

The Ministry of Justice`s Department of Administrative Violation Handling Management, in cooperation with KAS, held a seminar for the assessment of the Law on Handling Administrative Violations in order to amend and supplement the law more efficiently in the future. Experts from different departments were able to contribute their findings of implementing the current law. They identified specific issues with the law and gave recommendations for improvement. Most violations of the law can be recognized in the traffic and transport range. With the purpose of dealing with these increasing numbers, Dang Van Chung, Deputy Director of the Traffic Safety Department urged for the need of a working registration system of car owners with the aim of a better working sanction system if one violates the law. Mrs. Dang Hoang Oanh, Deputy Minister of Justice, listened to the experiences of the implementation process carefully. In the next step, the Department of Administrative Violation Handling Management will assess the findings of today’s seminar. The event was a contribution to the Vietnamese-German Dialogue on the Rule of Law.

Dialogue and Professional Training on Legal Service 2019 in the Northern Region

Workshop

The Ministry of Justice’s Department of General Affairs in Legislative Development, supported by KAS, held a dialogue and professional training in order to equip legal staff with greater capabilities and to sharpen their skills in legal services. The event also was organized as a contribution to the rule-of-law dialogue between Germany and Vietnam. In a dialogue format and through direct interaction with participants, experts stressed the great importance of legal services in the process of law-making, promulgation and implementation. They also identified persisting challenges like a decrease in full-time legal staff positions and a lack of know-how in certain fields. In the following training, participants were able to deepen their knowledge in legislative development, legal implementation and judicial reform as well as communication and public navigation on legal policies.

Equality in Accessing Resources for Vietnamese Enterprises: Lessons Learned from International Experiences

International workshop

The Institute of State and Law (ISL) of the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences and KAS organized a workshop on the equality in accessing resources for businesses. Vietnamese, Polish and Korean experts first gave insights into regional and international experiences. They later drew conclusions for Vietnamese enterprises accessing technological, financial and developmental resources. Policy implications and recommendations were given on how to improve Vietnamese enterprises’ access to resources and therefore their scope for growth and development.

Classification of Power between Local Government Levels in Vietnam

Symposium

The Ministry of Home Affair’s Institute for State Organizational Sciences (ISOS) and KAS hosted a symposium on theoretical and practical issues regarding the determination and classification of authority between Vietnamese local government levels.

ASEAN 2020 - Simulating the future of regional integration

Simulation game

A number of students had the opportunity to take part in the simulation game hosted by the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam (DAV) and KAS. By taking the roles of delegates from all ASEAN member countries the students were able to practice their negotiating skills as well as gain insights into the challenges faced by diplomats. The topics discussed included a fictional context on labour mobility, maritime security, and refugee crisis.

Combating plastic pollution in the South China Sea

4th Ocean Dialogue

As the environmental impacts of waste on maritime ecosystems has become a burning issue for the world community, the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam (DAV) and the Australian Embassy to Vietnam together with KAS co-hosted the fourth Ocean Dialogue "Combating Plastic Pollution in the South China Sea" in January 2019. The following video further emphasises the most important points of this event.

Cooperation and integration in the Baltic region and Southeast Asia: A comparative perspective

International conference

The conference, which had been organised in joint efforts by the University of Social Sciences and Humanities (USSH) and KAS, addressed traditional and non-traditional security issues, challenges and opportunities for cooperation in the Baltic region in comparison to trends in Southeast Asia. While soft security matters play an increasingly important role in the two regions, hard security issues are still of relevance. Experts showed how experiences made in the Baltic region may help Southeast Asia and especially ASEAN on the way to further cooperation and integration.

Quarterly Report (III) - Independent Assessment of Vietnam's Macroeconomic Policies

According to the announced data, Vietnamese economy witnessed an abnormal surge in economic growth in Q3, with the growth rate at 7.46% (yoy), the highest in the past seven years and much higher than Q2/2017 (6.17%) and the same period of previous years (2015: 6.87%, 2016: 6.56%). The economic growth rate in the first nine months of the year reached 6.41% (yoy), significantly surpassing the same period of 2016 yet a bit lower than 2015 (6.5%).