(VAN) Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien made strong commitments at the 90th Annual General Session of the World Assembly of Delegates of the World Organization for Animal Health.
Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien said that Vietnam is particularly concerned about antibiotic resistance.
On May 21 (Paris time, France), the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH, founded as OIE) held the 90th Annual General Session of the World Assembly of Delegates. Representing the Government of Vietnam, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Phung Duc Tien delivered a speech in the opening ceremony.
“Over the years, Vietnam has implemented many measures to promote animal health and welfare, coordinated with countries in controlling animal health risks through the One Health approach. As a member of the World Organization for Animal Health, Vietnam has been putting the above goals into the national missions, concretized in documents such as the Law on Veterinary Medicine, the Law on Animal Husbandry, the Law on Fisheries, as well as other livestock and aquaculture development strategies, national programs and plans on animal disease prevention and control,” said the Vietnamese representative.
Since 2003 Vietnam has paid close attention and proactively controlled zoonotic diseases, along with other matters concerning antibiotic resistance in agriculture. After 20 years, the Vietnam One Health Partnership Framework on these issues has been raised to a new height thanks to multi-sectoral coordination between three ministries: the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, the Ministry of Health, and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.
According to Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien, Vietnam is one of the first countries to issue a multi-sectoral One Health National Plan on the prevention and control of zoonotic diseases, which specifies the tasks and objectives of the partnership framework in the 5-year period, clearly defining the roles of stakeholders in disease prevention and control.
Five groups of tasks are listed by Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien: Organize 4 times to assess the capacity of the veterinary industry; Build a strict system of legal documents; Strengthen laboratory capacity, produce effective vaccines against animal diseases; Coordinate to organize important events of the World Organization for Animal Health in Vietnam; Cooperate on an international scale, promote trade.
“Thanks to the support of the international community, along with the constant efforts of the veterinary industry, ready to face changes, Vietnam has harvested many achievements in recent years”, the leader of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development said.