In line with the effort to improve the Governance of the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation, AICS, Mr Giuseppe Cerasoli, Administrative Deputy Director and Head of Corruption Prevention and Transparency of the Agency, conducted a mission to the AICS Office in Hanoi, Vietnam, from the 1st to the 6th of September.
As a government body implementing development cooperation initiatives, AICS plays a pivotal role in the international donor community. In this regard, the Agency is required to adapt its procedural systems to global standards and to fulfil specific obligations to be compliant with the status of “Pillar Assessed Entity” authorized to manage European Union funds.
Among the Agency’s Governance progresses and, therefore, in terms of effectiveness at the international level, it is worth mentioning its very recent positioning in the “Good” category of the Transparency Index 2024 (ATI). ATI is the only independent index measuring the transparency of aid from the world’s leading development aid agencies, created by the International Aid Transparency Initiative (IATI), of which AICS has taken part since 2017. The ATI Indicator analyses data at both organizational and implementation projects levels.
The visit of the Deputy Administrative Director, lasting a week, coincided with the arrival and taking up of service of Ms Margherita Lulli, the new Head of AICS Hanoi Office, from September 1st, for a two-year period assignment.
“The presence in Vietnam of the AICS Headquarters, represented by Mr Cerasoli upon my arrival, that follows the regency of Ms Annamaria Iotti, Head of the AICS Human Resources Department, confirms the commitment and the current strategy of the Agency to enhance the exchange from the centre to the periphery and vice versa, aimed at increasing the efficiency and achieve the common objectives synergically” commented Ms Lulli.
AICS Hanoi is deeply engaged in different sectors, including managing water resources, water sanitation and hygiene (WaSH), the fight against climate change, health, and sustainable rural development in Vietnam, with a noteworthy focus on the circular economy. Further, AICS Hanoi operates in the Philippines, the Small Island States of the Pacific, and at a regional level with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Finally, AICS Hanoi actively participates in humanitarian and peace-building activities in Myanmar and Bangladesh.
