Paris (VNA) – The Ministry of Agriculture and Environment (MAE), as the lead agency of the Vietnam One Health Partnership for Zoonoses (OHP) framework, has reaffirmed strong support for global political commitments on the “One Health” approach and international initiatives spearheaded by France.
The statement was made in a message sent to the One Health Summit, taking place in Lyon from April 5 to 7, with a high-level session on April 7 marking the World Health Day.
The MAE welcomed the French Government’s organisation of the summit, describing it as an important forum to advance global political commitments and strengthen international cooperation in preventing zoonotic diseases.
Vietnam has been actively implementing the One Health approach through the OHP framework, under the MAE's leadership and in close coordination with the Ministry of Health, other relevant ministries and international partners, it said, noting that France and its institutions, particularly the French Agricultural Research Centre for International Development (CIRAD), have been identified as one of key partners in this process, providing technical assistance, research collaboration and policy support.
Vietnam is also an active member of the Preventing Zoonotic Disease Emergence (PREZODE) initiative, launched by the French President, contributing to global efforts to prevent the emergence of diseases transmitted from animals to humans through a comprehensive and preventive approach, the MAE added.
On this occasion, the MAE voiced its intention to further deepen cooperation with the French Government under Vietnam’s One Health Partnership, while affirming its readiness to participate more actively in upcoming conferences with substantive contributions, including high-level remarks and in-depth technical inputs.
Vietnam began applying the One Health approach in 2003 with the establishment of the Partnership on Avian and Human Influenza (PAHI), in response to complex outbreaks of avian influenza that had serious impacts on public health, livelihoods and food security. In 2016, in the face of evolving challenges and the need to address a broader range of zoonotic and emerging health risks, the Vietnamese Government transitioned PAHI into the more comprehensive OHP framework, aligning with the global One Health trend.
For the 2021–2025 period, the Vietnam One Health Partnership was officially approved and implemented as a national inter-sectoral coordination mechanism.
Co-chaired by the MAE and the Ministry of Health, the framework includes 35 official signatory partners and more than 70 international partners participating on a regular basis. While some partners, such as multilateral organisations and the European Union, do not formally sign agreements due to internal procedures, they remain actively engaged in supporting knowledge sharing, initiatives and One Health programmes in Vietnam.
The One Health Summit in Lyon is one of the key events of France’s presidency of the Group of Seven (G7) and marks the ninth edition of the One Planet Summit series. It focuses on advancing the One Health approach, which highlights the close interconnection between human, animal, plant and ecosystem health. It aims to translate political commitments into concrete actions in areas such as disease prevention, response capacity building, antimicrobial resistance control, development of sustainable food systems, and environmental protection./.
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