After a long period of development, One Health in Vietnam has made significant strides towards the prevention of zoonoses and other emerging infectious diseases in the country. Under the direction of the Vietnamese Government, extensive expert consultations indicated consensus to re-launch the Partnership for Animal and Human Influenza (PAHI) as the Vietnam One Health Partnership for Zoonoses (OHP). The Prime Minister, H.E. Nguyen Tan Dung, approved the official launching of the OHP framework on 1st of March, 2016 at the Melia Hotel, with 27 national and international partners signing the official document to inaugurate the new agency. Signing partners included the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, the United Nations, the US Embassy, the French Embassy, the World Bank, CIRAD, the French Development Agency (AFD), the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and other international and national partners. The overall goal of the One Health Partnership will be to enhance the capacity of Vietnam to address zoonotic infectious disease threats at the human-animal–ecosystem interfaces.

MARD vice-minister, together with MOH vice-minister, and representatives of related national and international partners, chaired the meeting on behalf of the Prime Minister.

Dr. Philippe Girard, CIRAD Regional Director for Continental Southeast Asia and Dr. Marisa Peyre, REVASIA project coordinator represented the CIRAD partnership at the signing ceremony.  

The AFD representative Mr Remi Genevey made an intervention on behalf of the French Embassy, CIRAD and AFD, on the importance of the One Health Partnership and the role of France and French research institutions in providing technical and funding support to Vietnam in the fight against zoonotic threats over the past 15 years (link to CIRAD One Health activities in Vietnam). The French Embassy was represented by Mr Alain Dorie (Health expert) and Mr. Remi Lambert, the First Counsellor who joined in with the meeting officials for the signing of the partnership.

This launching meeting was an important milestone in the development of effective and sustainable One Health partnership in Vietnam.