Help was provided to establish a number of new institutions, including the Institute of Agricultural Science, the Soils and Fertiliser Institute and the National Plant Protection Service, as well as to strengthen existing organisations. Through such technical assistance projects, Viet Nam gained access to up-to-date technologies, equipment and techniques. At the same time, FAO contributed to the formulation of legislation aimed at enhancing the ability of the agricultural sector to respond to the challenges and opportunities posed by the new market environment. The programme works under four major multi-sectoral initiatives, including the Joint Gouemment-UN Programme, the World Bank’s VAHIP Project, the One UN Initiative with the largest contribution to FAO coming from United States Agency for International Development (USAID) projects. The second highest was food safety which received USD 3.8 million for 13 projects.