Minister Charlie McConalogue announces funding of €400,000 from Ireland to UNDP Vietnam

HANOI, VIETNAM (19 March 2026) – Minister of State Charlie McConalogue T.D. officially announced €400,000 in funding to the United Nations Development Programme to continue Ireland’s support for the Provincial Governance and Public Administration Performance Index (PAPI) in Vietnam in 2026.

UNDP has a longstanding relationship with partners in Vietnam to support accelerated achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. PAPI is a flagship programme, initiated by UNDP in Vietnam in 2009, aiming to enhance inclusive governance. Through the programme, partners in Vietnam assess citizen experiences with government at provincial and local levels and provide a policy monitoring tool to support improved governance, public administration and public service delivery. Provincial policymakers across Vietnam have used the index to support improved governance measures, strengthen delivery of services and inform policy dialogue.

Minister Charlie McConalogue stated that “Ireland’s support for the United Nations is a cornerstone of our foreign policy, as well as our development cooperation with Vietnam”.

The Minister added that “Ireland’s international development strategy is centred on the belief that strong, transparent governance is essential for reducing poverty, building stability, and advancing human rights. The UNDP’s PAPI programme is an excellent expression of this and has achieved significant results.”

The Minister added that “Ireland is proud to support this work and in particular to maintain our funding to UN programmes at a time where other sources of funding have come under pressure”

The latest funding will bring Ireland’s total funding to €2.45 million since 2018. Ireland is one of two primary co-funders of the PAPI programme, together with Australia.

Background

The Embassy of Ireland’s development programme in Vietnam, governed by the Mission Strategy 2023–2027, is a central pillar of Ireland’s "Global Ireland" footprint in Southeast Asia. The strategy is built on the core principle of "reaching the furthest behind first," focusing on two overarching goals: promoting inclusive economic growth and reducing vulnerabilities.

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Vietnam is a long-term multilateral partner of the Embassy of Ireland in Hanoi. Since 2018, the Embassy of Ireland has provided funding to the UNDP in Vietnam to support implementation of the Provincial Governance and Public Administration Performance Index (PAPI). Ireland’s total contribution over 2018-2025 has been €2.05 million and in this will reach €2.45 million in 2026.

The PAPI programme measures public perceptions of provincial performance in governance and public administration including the outputs of local governance, public administration, and public services as experienced by citizens at the provincial level. Project findings are based on the experiences and feedback of citizens randomly selected from all provinces nationwide. Since 2009, 216,673 adult citizens have engaged in face-to-face interviews and shared their experiences with the PAPI team. All provinces across Vietnam have used PAPI to improve their performance in the

implementation of improved governance measures and service delivery, and PAPI has provided data and analysis to inform policy reforms at the national level.