DA NANG - Since the major outbreak of the Avian Influenza A H5N1 in 2004, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) have been closely collaborating with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) to swiftly contain the disease outbreak and prevent its further spread to safeguarding food security and preventing disease transmissions to human. After the emergency control, the program has expanded its scope of disease from H5N1 HPAI to other emerging health threat through the Emerging Pandemic Threats 2 (EPT2) Programme with the financial support from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

Celebrating the decade-long collaboration, The UN-FAO Viet Nam Emergency Centre for Transboundary Animal Diseases (FAOVN ECTAD), USAID and the Department of Animal Health – DAH and MARD EPT2 contributing agencies including the Department of Livestock Production - DLP, National Agriculture Extension Center - NAEC and CITES Management Authority (The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) gathered together in Da Nang to critically review the zoonotic diseases risk, progress and challenges of implemented activities and develop the annual work plan for year 2018-2019.

Creative and participatory methods were introduced to ensure inputs from all stakeholders were included. During the ‘Gallery Walk’ session, participants went around the room to review progress and provided their inputs under 4 project outputs; 1) One Health and risk communication 2) Risk reduction 3) Surveillance 4) Cross-border along with risk assessment and mitigation tools developed and tested under the project. Afterward, the participants identified gaps and possible solutions to better mitigate risks which form the basis for the work plan development.

“By looking back the past collaboration, we were able to accurately identify the gaps or challenges and effectively brainstorm for a more sustainable resolution. With the valuable inputs from all participants, we look forward to further mitigating zoonotic diseases risk more effectively in 2018-2019 period and begin exploring way forward for the collaboration between FAO and MARD departments beyond 2019.” said Pawin Padungtod, the Senior Technical Coordinator of FAO ECTAD Viet Nam.

Based on the outputs from the meeting, DAH will develop a consolidated work plan in consultation with the respective MARD departments with technical support from FAOVN ECTAD to keep livelihoods in Viet Nam safe from any zoonotic threats.