Multi-sectoral coordination and multilateral cooperation are the compass for disease prevention and control.
On the morning of November 7th, 2023, in Hanoi, Vietnam, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Mr. Phung Duc Tien, Deputy Minister of Health Mr. Do Xuan Tuyen, National Director of the Organization USAID Ms. Aler Grubs chaired the Vietnam One Health 2023 High-Level Forum for Zoonoses for the 2021-2025 period.
Attending the Forum, there were about 160 delegates from 90 domestic and international agencies, including the participation of all 33 signing partners including 03 Ministries and 30 international and domestic development partners, more than 20 provinces and cities, and hundreds of bridgeheads participated online.
The One Health Partnership Framework for 2021-2025 was signed on March 23rd, 2022. Until now, there are 33 official member partners. The One Health national master plan on zoonotic disease prevention supported by EU-Vietnam was approved by 03 Ministries on March 21st, 2022. Since the signing, according to incomplete statistics of the Secretariat, nearly 100 programs and projects have been prepared and implemented to support the plan's implementation. All three participating Ministries highly appreciated the cooperation and companionship of domestic and international development partners for the One Health Partnership Framework.
Deputy Minister Mr. Phung Duc Tien spoke at the opening of the One Health Forum
The forum summarized the results of implementing the One Health approach across the fields of Health, Agriculture, and Environment, One Health coordination in 2023, clearly pointed out limitations, and proposed solutions to strengthen multi-sector coordination to implement the goals and tasks of the national One Health multi-sectoral plan. At the same time, it is also an opportunity to connect government agencies with international partners and civil, social, non-governmental, and private organizations, and especially to participate and contribute ideas for provinces and cities;
At the forum, Deputy Minister Mr. Phung Duc Tien affirmed that when a pandemic occurs anywhere, mobilizing multi-sectoral coordination and multilateral cooperation is the compass for disease prevention and control. Therefore, One Health is the optimal approach to ensure the planet's safety and the community's health.
After more than 2 years since the approval of the One Health Partnership Framework for the period 2021-2025, with a participatory management method, the main actors are international and domestic partners, civil, communal, social, and private organizations, NGOs have coordinated with Vietnamese government agencies, under the coordination, network connection, guidance on processes and procedures, advice on implementation organization, synthesis and handling of recommendations on mechanisms; policies, and institutions of the three co-leading Ministries through the One Health Secretariat.
Deputy Minister of Health Mr. Tran Xuan Tuyen, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Mr. Phung Duc Tien, Director of USAID Vietnam Ms. Aler Grubs, and Director of the International Cooperation Department of the Ministry of Agriculture Industry and Rural Development Mr. Nguyen Do Anh Tuan at the forum.
If there were a total of 50 One Health projects from 2016 to 2020, there have been nearly 100 One Health programs and projects implemented up to now, 05 technical groups have been established including Pandemic Prevention, Food Safety, Antibiotic Resistance, Companion Animals, and from Research to Policy. The One Health Partnership Framework also creates a forum for relevant parties to meet and exchange enthusiastically on the main areas of the Partnership Framework, serving as a basis for implementing specific projects and programs for the Government's priorities, the Sector Strategy is specified in the national multi-sectoral plan for One Health for the period 2021-2025.
The progress and encouraging results were achieved through the attention, cooperation, and timely support of development partners, especially the US, EU, Germany, and France, and the combined efforts of other components to support the implementation of the Partnership Framework and national multi-sectoral plan. All three co-leading Ministries acknowledge, are grateful, and highly appreciate these efforts from international and domestic partners who have focused resources to join hands with the Government of Vietnam in disease prevention.
Overview of One Health forum
Deputy Minister of Health, and co-lead of the One Health Partnership Framework Mr. Do Xuan Tuyen acknowledged that the work of preventing and controlling infectious diseases over the past two decades has shown us that the healthcare sector cannot unilaterally control diseases, especially diseases with interdisciplinary elements such as zoonotic diseases and issues related to antibiotic resistance, food safety, health problems due to environmental pollution and Climate Change…
In the current era of globalization, increased trade along with climate change and strong urbanization has increased the interaction between humans, animals, and ecosystems. This can transform old pathogens and create new pathogens that pose a threat to human health. To respond to these great challenges, it is essential to have the collaboration of society as a whole and the support and cooperation of the international community.
With this spirit, cooperation in the direction of "One Health" continues to affirm itself as the optimal approach to solving problems related to public health. The Ministry of Health commits to continue to actively participate, promote, and implement more effective activities to prevent and control zoonotic diseases and other health issues.
The three co-leading Ministries all affirmed that the One Health Investment Framework for the period 2021-2025 is managed in a participatory method, with the main subjects being international and domestic partners, civil, communal, social, and private organizations, NGOs coordinate with Vietnamese government agencies, under the coordination and networking of the One Health Coordination Office so that the Partnership Framework can be implemented smoothly and in accordance with the needs and situation of the world and Vietnam regarding One Health cooperation; consider the One Health coordination task as a regular task of the three Ministries; ready to listen, absorb, learn, and support One Health activities. Affirm the use of a One Health approach and manage the One Health Partnership Framework in a participatory manner.
Representing the Development Partners to co-chair the Conference with 02 Deputy Ministers, the Director of USAID in Vietnam Ms. Aler Grubs shared that Vietnam continues to be USAID's priority country for the Global Health Security Program through the One Health multi-sectoral coordination mechanism between health, agriculture, and the environment to contribute to the control of global health security threats. Through the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries, USAID is committed to continuing to accompany and support Vietnam in achieving stable, peaceful, and prosperous development goals, with a focus on the Global Health Security Program through Vietnam's One Health Partnership Framework for preventing and controlling zoonotic diseases.
The conference reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening cooperation in the field of zoonotic diseases; and strengthening the focal, leading, and coordinating role of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development for the One Health Partnership Framework on zoonotic disease prevention, calling on all parties to proactively and actively coordinate and support each other in disease prevention; Appreciate the increasingly important and proactive role of the Environment sector in the Partnership Framework. In particular, the Conference hopes that the Parties will jointly support the Secretariat to play a good coordination role through actively participating in One Health mechanisms including 05 technical working groups and the One Health High-Level Forum every year to enhance the exchange and sharing of information, propose technical contents into technical assistance programs and projects to propose changes and adjust policies on key areas of the Partnership Framework.
In the coming time, the Parties all wish to supplement and comprehensively complete the areas of One Health in the interaction between humans, plants, animals, and the ecological environment, especially, attaching importance to both plant health, soil health, etc. in the Partnership Framework content to ensure comprehensiveness; In 2024, There are many multi-sectoral One Health programs and activities such as the Transform Project (through Cargil); Nature4health initiative (through IUCN); Prezode Initiative (through CIRAD), VOHICCE Program - Implementing One Health Vietnam in the context of climate change and environment (through UNDP) to implement the key tasks and areas of the multi-sectoral One Health plan.
With the active participation of over 90 agencies and departments of the Government of Vietnam, international and domestic development partners, provinces and cities participating online, and hundreds of other international bridge points; in the spirit of cooperation, construction, careful preparation of the Partner Lead Agency (Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development) along with the unity and active coordination of the two co-lead ministries, the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, and the active companionship and support of GIZ Germany, the Forum took place in an atmosphere of contribution, openness, and great success.