Bringing Land Governance into ASEAN economic integration, Establishment process of Viet Nam Forest Owners Association

1. Regional Land Forum
“Bringing Land Governance into ASEAN economic
integration”
ESTABLISHMENT PROCESS OF
VIET NAM FOREST OWNERS ASSOCIATION
(VIFORA)
Ha Noi, 21-23/03/2016
Luong Quang Hung
Community Forestry Partnerships Coordinator
RECOFTC Viet Nam country program

2. Outline
• Rationale
• Legal basic
• Conditions for establishing an association
• Process
• Current status and next steps
• Q&A

3. Rationale
• 400 business associations in Viet Nam but only 3
associations in the forestry sector: VIFA, VNPPA,
VIETFORES.
• No an accociation for more than 1.5 million households +
10,000 communities as forest owners, who are managing
27,1 % of total forest and forest land areas.
• Local needs to have a network linking forest owners for
self-help and self-protection toward sustaninable forest and
livelihood development, enhancement of forest owners’
agent and their voice.
• Nearly 200 household forest owners in five provinces
submitting an application to voluntarily join and establish
the association.

4. Legal basic
• Constitution 2013 (article 25)
• Law on the Right to establish associations
1957;
• Decree no. 45/2010/NĐ-CP (2010) on the
organization, operation and management of
associations and its revision- decree no.
33/2012/ND-CP.
• Circular 11/2010/TT-BNV (2010) on guilding to
implement decree no. 45/2010/NĐ-CP and its
revision- circular 03/2013/TT-BNV.

5. Conditions for establishing an association
1. Not contrary to law + Not identical with those of associations
which have been lawfully established earlier in the same
locality.
2. Having a charter.
3. Having a head office.
4. Having at least 100 citizens and/or institutions in different
provinces (i) meeting membership criteria and (ii) filing an
application to voluntarily join and establish the association.
5. Setting up an advocacy board to campaign for such
establishment + being recognized by the state management
agency in charge of the sector.
6. Submitting a dossier of application for association
establishment (7 documents)

6. Conditions for establishing an association (Cont)
A dossier of application for association establishment:
1. An application to establish the association.
2. Draft association charter.
3. List of members of the advocacy board recognized
by a competent state agency.
4. Judicial record of the head of advocacy board.
5. Written document to certify the planned location of
association's head office.
6. Statement of assets voluntarily contributed by
members (if any).

7. Process
Dec 2014 Initial meetings of founders to discuss about VIFORA
Apr 2015 First consultation meetings at national level and at three
pilot provinces
Jun 2015 VIFORA advocacy board was recognized by MARD by
decision no. 2031/QD-BNN-TCCB dated 02/06/2015
Aug 2015 Conducting baseline survey of forest owners +
introducing VIFORA, VIFORA poster and application to
join VIFORA

8. Process
Sep 2015
Second consultation meetings at national level and at
three pilot provinces and collecting applications from
forest ownners
Sep 2015 First national consultation workshop in Ha Noi
Dec 2015 Second national consultation workshop in Da Nang
Mar 2016 Finalising and submitting application dossier to Ministry
of Home Affairs
Apr 2016 Feedback from Ministry of Home Affairs + clarification

9. Current status and next steps
1. The Minister of Home Affairs (MoHA) shall license
the establishment of VIFORA.
2. Holding a congress to establish the association:
- Announcing the decision to license the association
establishment.
- Discussing and passing the association charter.
- Electing the leadership and inspection boards.
- Passing the association's working agenda.
- Adopting the congress's resolution.
3. Reporting on congress results
4. Approval and effect of association charters by
MoHA

10. Questions and answers
Thank you
Any questions?