NA Chairman Vương Đình Huệ speaks at the conference. — VNA/VNS Photo 

HÀ NỘI — The National Assembly (NA) Standing Committee held a conference in Hà Nội on Monday to review the performance of provincial-level People’s Councils in northern localities last year and launch tasks for 2022.

NA Chairman Vương Đình Huệ attended and delivered remarks at the event.

Nguyễn Thị Thanh, head of the Standing Committee’s Board for Deputy Affairs, said the NA Standing Committee would have held a conference reviewing the 2016 - 2021 performance of the People’s Councils last year, but instead, it sent a review report to localities due to the COVID-19 situation.

In the new tenure, the NA Standing Committee decided to organise the conference annually, and meetings will take place in the northern, central, and southern regions separately in 2022 in adaptation to the pandemic, she noted.

In the elections of deputies to the 15th NA and all-level People’s Councils for the 2021 - 2026 tenure, 3,721 deputies were elected to provincial-level People’s Councils, 22,550 to district-level councils, and 239,788 others to councils at the communal level.

In 2021, despite the pandemic’s continued impacts, the Vietnamese economy still posted stable development and kept its attractiveness to foreign investors, which was partly attributed to efforts by all-level People’s Councils - the local organ of State power and the representative of the people’s will, aspirations, and right to mastery that made important decisions to implement the Party’s guidelines and policies and the State’s laws, according to a report delivered at the conference.

At the event, permanent members of the People’s Councils from some localities reported on their councils’ performance and experience in 2021, which showed many new and positive points in their organisation and working methods. They also proposed several tasks and solutions for this year.

Speaking at the event, NA Chairman Huệ said apart from achievements gained in the operation of People's Councils, shortcomings remained, failing to meet the requirements and expectations of citizens and voters, Chairman Huệ said.

He urged to continue reviewing, completing and implementing the master plan on continuously renewing and improving the operation quality of People's Councils.

The People's Councils of localities in 2022 needed to issue resolutions to implement and supervise the implementation of Government and NA policies and resolutions on socio-economic development, finance and State budget and public investment, particularly the COVID-19 prevention and control programme and the socio-economic recovery and development programme during 2022-2023, the NA Chairman said.

He also stressed the need to enhance information dissemination and application of information and technology in operation of People's Councils.

Chairman Huệ asked People's Councils of localities to pay more attention to improving quality and flexibly organise forms of meetings with voters and forms of their sessions (online, in-person or combination of both); and effectively handle complaints and petitions of voters and people. — VNS