Improve the PAPI Index

According to a report published in mid-April 2025, An Giang province's Provincial Public Administration and Governance Performance Index (PAPI) for 2024 reached 42.89 points, ranking 40th out of 63 provinces and cities nationwide (a decrease of 5 places compared to 2023), placing it in the group of provinces with low average scores; and ranking 6th out of 13 provinces and cities in the Mekong Delta region.

Based on the published report, An Giang province saw an increase in scores for 3 content indicators and a decrease in scores for 5 content indicators compared to 2023. Although the targets for 8 content indicators did not meet the requirements set out in the 2024 plan, the overall PAPI index results for the province showed improvement compared to 2023. In terms of scores, the highest group was: controlling corruption in the public sector and environmental governance. The lower-middle group included: transparency, public administrative procedures, and public service delivery. The lowest group included: citizen participation at the grassroots level, accountability to citizens, and e-governance.

According to Deputy Director of the Department of Internal Affairs Truong Long Ho, the three indicators that lost points and were among the lowest-scoring indicators are: citizen participation at the grassroots level; accountability to the people; and e-governance. Specifically, for the indicator of citizen participation at the grassroots level, the decrease in points was concentrated in the following sub-indicators: participation in contributing opinions to new construction/renovation projects of public works; and awareness of the community investment monitoring board that has supervised the implementation of new construction/renovation projects of public works in the locality (the lead agency is the People's Committee at the district level).

Regarding accountability to the people, the component that received a drop in score and remained in the lowest-scoring group was: Responding to complaints, denunciations, and concerns of the people (led by the Provincial People's Committee Office). Regarding e-governance, the score reduction was concentrated in the following areas: Utilizing the local government's electronic portal; the government's responses through the electronic portal remain very low, leading to its consistent low ranking for many years (led by the Department of Information and Communications, now the Department of Science and Technology).

Providing public services that create satisfaction for citizens and businesses.

Furthermore, an objective reason for the reduced score is that the survey unit conducted direct interviews with randomly selected citizens. Each interview lasted an average of 45-60 minutes, involving one-on-one discussions with over 550 questions covering various policy issues, over 8 content indicators, 29 sub-indicators, and more than 120 key criteria… As a result, the citizens selected for the interviews faced difficulties in answering the survey unit's questions.

The roles and responsibilities of agencies, units, and localities in improving the effectiveness and efficiency of state management (such as: internal administrative procedures are still cumbersome and complex; coordination is not effective, leading to prolonged processing times within agencies as well as for citizens and businesses); and the focus on serving the people, especially at the grassroots level, has not been given due attention. The situation of delayed processing of administrative procedures and harassment in the handling of administrative procedures, especially in the fields of land and construction, still persists.

To continue implementing solutions to improve the PAPI Index in the coming period, the Department of Internal Affairs proposes that the Provincial People's Committee organize a conference to analyze and seek effective and practical solutions, with consultation from experts in governance and public administration. Through this, the aim is to maintain and promote the indicators that have improved, and to address and improve the indicators that have declined in 2024 (especially those in the lowest group).

The Provincial Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) has developed a plan to coordinate the synchronized implementation of various tasks and programs under the PAPI (Provincial PAPI Index) of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Vietnam and the Central Committee of the VFF to improve and enhance the province's PAPI index. This includes strengthening the role and responsibility of agencies, units, and localities in improving the effectiveness and efficiency of state management, focusing on serving the people, especially at the grassroots level. It also emphasizes strengthening the responsibility of leaders in administrative reform, in inspecting and supervising civil servants under their authority; and in strictly adhering to administrative discipline and regulations, promoting a high sense of responsibility in the performance of duties and public service by officials and civil servants.

In addition, it is necessary to promote awareness and guide people and organizations in carrying out administrative procedures through the National Public Service Portal, familiarizing them with searching and accessing electronic documents entirely online. The implementation of solutions to improve the PAPI Index should be accelerated; administrative procedures should be reduced and simplified. The efficiency of the provincial Public Administrative Service Center and local reception and results delivery departments should be improved and enhanced; the rate of online public service delivery should be increased, ensuring readiness to serve, creating favorable conditions, and guaranteeing satisfaction for organizations and individuals.

HANH CHAU

Source: https://baoangiang.com.vn/nang-cao-chi-so-papi-a420650.html