Hanoi (VNA) - UNDP Resident Representative in Vietnam Caitlin Wiesen has writtenan article on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the Vietnam AO/Dioxin disaster day (August 10). The following is thefull text of the article.

“Viet Nam hasexperienced several decades of war and the country is still suffering from thislegacy. Dioxin, or Agent Orange, remains one such challenge that the Governmentof Viet Nam and its citizens are still grappling with today. As Viet Nam reachessixty years since the chemical was first used in the war in the country, it isimportant we do not forget the victims of this tragedy.

Dioxin orAgent Orange as it is often referred to, has had a devastating effect on generationsof families in Viet Nam. According to the World Health Organization, “Dioxinsare highly toxic and can cause reproductive and developmental problems, damagethe immune system, interfere with hormones and also cause cancer.” It has been estimated that 80 million liters of herbicide containing dioxin wasspread in Viet Nam in the 1960s and early 1970s.

Today, on the10th of August, we mark the 60th anniversary of Agent Orange beingused for the first time in the war in Viet Nam. ‘Agent Orange Awareness Day’ isa day to remember the thousands of civilian Vietnamese citizens affected by thetoxins spread across the country. It is also an opportunity to give credit tothe many brave men and women, Vietnamese and foreigners, who have worked tirelesslyand continue to work to this day, to reduce the impact of this deadly legacy ofwar. The impact has been felt most acutely by people using contaminated landand especially the many people – adults and children alike – who live withdisabilities caused by these chemicals. On this day we reaffirm our stand withthe Government of Viet Nam in raising deep concern about the persistentchallenge of dioxin contamination despite the passing of several decades sincethe end of hostilities. To help address this issue the United NationsDevelopment Programme (UNDP) in Viet Nam  has worked with the Ministry of NaturalResources and Environment on Dioxin contaminated hotspots in Da Nang, Bien Hoa,and Phu Cat airbases removing barriers to effectively contain and/or remediatethe highly toxic materials. UNDP has also helped develop the National ActionPlan, approved by the Prime Minister in 2012, on overcoming the grave consequencesof toxic chemicals. This plan formed the basis of the Government’s greatachievements in the completion of dioxin remediation in Da Nang airbase (2018)and the recent launch of a large dioxin treatment project in Bien Hoa airbase(2020). UNDP also plan to deepen and expand the work with the VietnameseGovernment in addressing the problem of dioxin and hazardous chemicals releasedfrom industrial activities.

As part of our ongoingefforts to address the legacies of war, UNDP has been working closely with theGovernment of Viet Nam to address the prevalence of Unexploded ordnance (UXO)which continue to contaminate  vast partsof Viet Nam. According to national studies, almost all 63 provinces and citieshave been impacted, especially the central region. For the past four years our collaborationwith the Ministry of Defense, the Viet Nam National Mine Action Center, and theKorea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) has resulted in thousands ofExplosive Ordnance being located and destroyed in Quang Binh and Binh Dinhprovinces. This successful triangular partnership also designed and completed thefirst province-level assessment of persons with disabilities, with 75,000  individuals agreeing to register themselves, including survivors from Explosive Ordnanceaccidents and dioxin contamination. Only a few weeks ago, on the 15th of June, the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MOLISA), KOICAand UNDP announced that the online platform developed to support the datacollection and subsequent case management is now available and can also be accessedvia smartphones. Hence, what started as an innovation to help survivors fromExplosive Ordnance accidents in some parts of Viet Nam to obtain disabilitycertificates has now been scaled up for application nationwide for many more personswith disabilities.

UNDP also continuesits work to support the Government of Viet Nam, as a state party to the Conventionof the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, in many other areas which helppersons with disabilities participate fully in social and economic life. Thisincludes improvement of policies to implement the Law on Disabilities, as wellas standards on best practices for victim assistance in mine action.

On this day,and as we reaffirm our commitment to work for a peaceful world which shouldnever again see such devastating tragedy caused by dioxin, let us  remember those who were and still are affected.Looking forward, UNDP will continue to deepen our partnership with theGovernment of Viet Nam in two ways to address the legacies of war.  Firstly, we will continue our collaboration onthe remediation of dioxin and other hazardous chemicals. Secondly, we will deepenand expand our work on mine action and addressing UXO contamination whichcontinues to be a major problem here in Viet Nam.  Continuing ongoing support to those still strugglingwith consequences from war legacies is critical to ensuring no one is leftbehind at the core of the Sustainable Development Goals!