UNIVERSITY OF COPENHAGEN PROFESSOR RECEIVES MEDAL OF HONOR

On 14 January 2014, the Vietnamese Minister of Planning and Investment (MPI) Bui Quang Vinh presented a Medal of Honour, the highest official award for foreigners, to Copenhagen University Professor Finn Tarp, who is also the Director of the UN University World Institute for Development Economics Research (UNU-WIDER).

In his speech the Minister pointed out that Professor Finn Tarp has for almost 15 years been the dynamic leader of a series of high impact policy relevant research programmes focused on generating data, producing policy relevant studies and building analytical capacity in Vietnam. He has been a close research partner responsible for transferring international knowledge and skills in economic research to MPI’s Central Institute of Economics Management (CIEM) and a number of other Vietnamese research institutions. Thanks to the support, CIEM, a leading Vietnamese economic policy think tank, has improved its capacity and competency in producing high quality and evidence-based research and policy-oriented analysis. CIEM’s research work and policy recommendations have over the years proven highly instrumental in guiding economic planning and policy making in Vietnam. At the ceremony, Professor Tarp expressed his sincere appreciation for the medal of honour, and noted that it both recognizes the value and the importance the Government of Vietnam puts on informing economic policy with concrete evidence, and the long-standing relationship, which he together with more than 30 international colleagues have maintained with CIEM and numerous Vietnamese collaborators, senior researchers and policy makers in MPI. At the event, a medal of honour was also awarded to H.E. John Nielsen, Ambassador of Denmark to Vietnam. Minister Vinh stressed that Danish development cooperation has significantly contributed to socioeconomic development in Vietnam; and he highlighted that Ambassador Nielsen has made significant contributions to the development of the planning and investment sector in Vietnam in addition to being instrumental in facilitating the important signing of the Comprehensive Partnership Agreement between Denmark and Vietnam.

Picture 1: The Minister of Planning and Investment Bui Quang Vinh, H.E. Ambassador John Nielsen and Professor Finn Tarp.

Picture 2: The Minister of Planning and Investment Bui Quang Vinh and Professor Finn Tarp.

Picture 3: The Minister of Planning and Investment Bui Quang Vinh, H.E. Ambassador John Nielsen and Professor Finn Tarp and others present.

Picture 4: The Minister of Planning and Investment Bui Quang Vinh, H.E. Ambassador John Nielsen, Professor Finn Tarp and others present.