Party General Secretary To Lam delivers closing speech at the 14th plenum of the 13th Party Central Committee. Photo: VGP/Nhat Bac

In his closing speech, Party General Secretary To Lam said after two days of discussions, the plenum’s agenda was completed with high consensus and quality outcomes.

“Amid numerous difficulties and challenges caused by the domestic and international complications beyond forecast, natural disasters and epidemics, the Party Central Committee, Politburo, Secretariat, and key leaders have truly been a collective of unity, role model, mettle, wisdom, and steadfastness in the Party's viewpoints and guidelines. The committee has made correct and appropriate decisions and solved many important problems on socio-economy, national defense, security, foreign affairs, Party building and the political system”, General Secretary Lam said.

According to the Party leader, Resolution 18 on streamlining the political system's organizational apparatus was completed five years earlier than scheduled, creating a "push" and "turning point" in implementing the Party's Resolution in the new situation.

He underlined what need to be done from now until the 15th plenum and the 14th National Party Congress and put forth seven requests.

They include making a two-tier local government model operate effectively and efficiently; defining interconnected authority between the three tiers, eliminating overlap, and avoiding task vacancies; decentralization coupled with control; strongly shifting to post-inspection; organizing internal audits at the province/commune level; public finance allocation based on results and local specific characteristics; early determination of job positions, product contracting; mandatory training in expertise, profession, and data management; organizing a digital one-stop shop; eliminating the "beg and give" mechanism; enhancing leaders’ responsibility; building shared data; connecting residents-land-social security-enterprises; and real-time updates from the grassroots to the central level. 

“The consistent principle is that the locality decides, the locality does, the locality is responsible, and makes clear who is in charge of what, as well as the deadline, resources, and responsibilities. The central level sets an example, the locality responds. Serving the people, results and work products are the highest measure of the qualification and quality of cadres,” Party General Secretary To Lam stressed.