Zoonoses have been recognized as a global threat

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development coordinated with the Ministry of Health to jointly organize the High-Level Forum on the "One Health" Partnership Framework for the prevention and control of zoonoses from 2021 to 2025 on August 16 in Hanoi.

Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Phung Duc Tien said that before the Covid-19 pandemic could be controlled, the monkeypox pandemic has been developing complicatedly in mny countries around the world.

“Now more than ever, the One Health Partnership for the prevention of zoonoses has a very important position and role in the current complicated development of zoonoses", said Mr. Phung Duc Tien.

According to Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien, the One Health Partnership is vital in preventing zoonoses. Moreover, the attention, cooperation as well as timely support for immediate implementation of the Partnership Framework and Country Plan are equally indisposable.

As an important bridge connecting the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment with donors and development partners, the One Health Partnership always strives to promote cross-sectoral coordination activities at high level and mobilize the support of the international community with the aim to support Vietnam communicating and integrating with One Health initiatives in the region as well as the world. The Partnership's ultimate aim si to contribute to improving the national capacity in combating emerging infectious diseases.

Dr. Pawin Padungtod, Senior Advisor to the Center for Animal Disease Emergency Response under the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in Vietnam, said that One Health Partnership is an integrated approach that aims to maintain balance for sustainable development and the optimal use of resources.

The adoption of the One Health approach to food safety will enable countries to effectively detect, prevent and respond to zoonoses and public health problems regarding food safety.

The One Health Partnership Framework for the period of 2021 to 2025 was signed on March 23, 2022. 32 member partners have officially enrolled in the Partnership so far. The One Health national master plan on zoonoses prevention and control supported by the European Union and the Vietnam government was approved by three ministries on March 21, 2022.

Over 50 programs and projects are being prepared and implemented in an effort to support the implementation of the plan after the date of signing. The three Ministries highly commended the cooperation and companionship between domestic and international development partners in terms of the One Health Partnership Framework.

In the immediate future, the parties want to comprehensively promote the fields of One Health in the interaction between humans, plants, animals and the ecological environment, with special attention to plant health in the Partnership Framework content to ensure inclusiveness.

There are also opinions at the forum that expressed interest and proposed contents on updating and adjusting to address the limitations and shortcomings in current regulations regarding zoonotic diseases, especially those from from wildlife supply chains, to ensure multi-sectoral and unified participation of stakeholders.

Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien hoped that the donor community and organizations would continue to provide technical and financial support to strengthen the capacity of prevention, detection and response to pandemics, thereby mitigating the negative impacts caused by zoonotic diseases. Consequently, the cooperation between parties will contribute to the joint efforts of the international community towards a better world health, safe from infectious disease threats.