Vietnam to be the leading country in One Health implementation

On October 16, the Vietnam One Health Partnership for Zoonoses, chaired by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), in collaboration with International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), jointly convened the One Health Scientific Conference, with the theme of “International Practices and Lessons Learned for Vietnam”.

Speaking at the conference, Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien was glad to co-host the One Health Scientific Conference on the occasion of ILRI’s 50th anniversary and One Health Day. According to him, this is a valuable opportunity to mark 25 years of official collaboration between ILRI and Vietnam in the fields of livestock in general and animal health in particular. 

ILRI’s continuous active engagement in Vietnam and globally on OH in the fields of pandemic prevention, zoonotic diseases control, food safety, and antimicrobial resistance, demonstrates its strong commitment at national and global level.

The Vietnam OH Partnership has, in fact, had 20 years of experience in operating and implementing One Health activities, originally known as the Partnership on Avian and Human Influenza (PAHI) in 2003, and officially renamed the One Health Partnership for Zoonoses in 2016.

Since then, Vietnam has made significant progress in addressing urgent health challenges posed by zoonotic diseases, antibiotic resistance, preventing the illegal trade, poaching, and consumption of wild animals from natural sources, and joining forces to mitigate food safety risks.

Despite being regarded as one of the leading countries in implementing One Health initiative, with good practical experience and early coordination compared to other countries in the region and the world, the operation of One Health in Vietnam still faces gaps in intersectoral coordination, multilateral cooperation, technical capacity, and resources to implement and strengthen policies in key areas.

According to Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien, today’s conference brings together experts and scientists from 10 countries as well as professional representatives, the private sector, bilateral government partners, and international multilateral partners from the agriculture, health, and environment sectors.

By promoting intersectoral and regional cooperation to improve health and ensure the sustainability of ecosystems in Vietnam and other countries in the Southern Hemisphere.

The conference provides an opportunity for stakeholders to discuss and share experiences from international practices, selectively applying and adapting them to Vietnam's conditions and circumstances.

One of the most important solutions is to strengthen the capacity to coordinate the interdisciplinary One Health approach. Specifically, the approach emphasizes the comprehensive and harmonious relationship between human, animal, and environmental health to enhance resilience against future pandemic crises.

Vietnam always strives towards One Health

The leaders of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) affirms that Vietnam always strives to continue being one of the leading countries in implementing One Health initiative in the region. This is achieved through the primary leadership role of MARD and the close partnership and high sense of responsibility of the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment to address complex challenges posed by zoonotic diseases from both domestic and wild animals, antibiotic resistance, and food safety.

The One Health approach, through multidisciplinary coordination and strengthened multilateral cooperation in addressing pandemic issues, is a top solution for pandemic prevention. Cooperation in pandemic prevention with the international community in regions around the globe, especially hotspots such as Africa and Southeast Asia, and regions with significant scientific and technical experience in the Southern hemisphere, will be the direction of Vietnam’s One Health approach in the coming period.

Therefore, One Health in Vietnam calls for extensive cooperation with partners from Africa, America, and Europe to jointly implement shared One Health initiatives such as Prezode, Health Alliance, he added.

In addition, OH Partnership in Vietnam highly appreciates ILRI’s commitment to building a platform for interdisciplinary coordination, cross-sectoral collaboration, and multilateral cooperation to address challenges related to human, animal, and environmental health. The achievements of ILRI, along with the CGIAR One Health, have demonstrated the power of collaborative science in addressing zoonotic diseases, ensuring food safety, and tackling antibiotic resistance.

Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien believed that, through this conference, parties will learn valuable lessons in pandemic prevention using the One Health approach and jointly promote practical and resilient solutions.

The OH Partnership in Vietnam will continue to be a multilateral mechanism and forum for the prevention of zoonotic diseases, in line with regional and international initiatives, and especially ILRI’s Strategy on sustainable livestock development for the 2024-2030 period.

The conference focuses on research and the application of One Health science, and therefore, MARD calls on all domestic and international One Health partners and networks to commit to translating scientific knowledge into life-serving applications and turning them into tools and policies that can be widely implemented in the community.

Lastly, the message that Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien wished to convey to the conference is scientific research for life and policy support.