Hanoi (VNA) – The Vietnam One Health Partnership high-level annual forum for zoonoses 2024 was held in Hanoi on December 10, focusing on preventing zoonotic diseases and promoting environmental management in the 2021 - 2025 period.

The event was co-chaired by Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Phung Duc Tien, Deputy Minister of Health Le Duc Luan, USAID Vietnam Mission Director Aler Grubbs, and FOUR PAWS International Senior Director Martina Stepheny.

Tien emphasised the integration of One Health principles into Vietnam's agriculture, health, and environmental strategies to protect human, animal, and environmental health.

He noted that ensuring food safety, preventing disease outbreaks, and addressing post-disaster environmental challenges remain urgent priorities to stabilise people's life.

Meanwhile, Luan highlighted increasing risks of diseases posed by growing globalisation, trade, urbanisation, and climate change, which heighten interactions among humans, animals, and the ecosystem.

He reiterated the Ministry of Health's commitment to enhancing cooperation in line with the One Health approach to effectively combat disease outbreaks, including zoonotic diseases.

Grubbs revealed that through USAID, the US mission has contributed over 155 million USD to Vietnam’s One Health efforts since 2005.

One Health forms a core part of the USAID programme on preventing pandemics and threats from emerging infectious diseases as well as antimicrobial resistance, she said, affirming the US's commitment to collaborating with Vietnam to tackle emerging infectious diseases as in line with the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the two nations.

For her part, Stepheny pledged FOUR PAWS International’s support for Vietnam’s initiatives to improve animal welfare and reduce health risks for both animals and humans, with a particular focus on eliminating the trading of dog and cat meat.

She praised Vietnam’s exemplary coordination mechanism and implementation of One Health as a model for other countries.

The forum highlighted nearly 20 years of progress under the One Health Partnership, which has unceasingly improved multi-sector coordination and multilateral cooperation. Key achievements include institutionalising One Health activities, building a roadmap for strengthening veterinary and public health systems, and drafting a strategy for antimicrobial resistance prevention for 2023 - 2030.

International partners presented updates from technical working groups, proposed policy improvements, and pledged further support for the 2025 One Health action plan.

Reaffirming their commitment to advancing multi-sector coordination, participants also acknowledged the joint efforts by domestic and international partners in helping the Vietnamese Government to address public health challenges, including recovery efforts following Typhoon Yagi.

🐎 Stakeholders vowed continued collaboration with the Vietnamese Government to prevent zoonoses by using the One Health approach and realise the targets set in the national One Health Partnership master plan 2021 - 2025./.