Speeches Shim
Although the legal framework and penalties related to wildlife conservation and protection have been strengthened, crimes associated with trafficking and consumption still remain an issue due to the high consumer demand for wildlife products. To address this, USAID Wildlife Asia and the Scientific Council of the Central Committee for Propaganda and Education (CCPE) organized an event on November 27 for CCPE leaders and senior government communicators to discuss a communication strategy to reduce the demand for illegal wildlife products. USAID/Vietnam Deputy Mission Director Bradley Bessire attended the dialogue and gave remarks to 50 participants, including representatives from CCPE, ministries, and the National Assembly, as well as TV, newspaper, and online media journalists. During the event, USAID Wildlife Asia shared international best practices on wildlife protection and provided suggestions on selecting appropriate communication strategies to drive down wildlife demand and consumption.
Digital transformation is progressing at a heightened speed all around the world as it helps enterprises increase the value they deliver to customers and be better positioned to meet customers’ demands and expectations. However, COVID-19 has accelerated the need for digital transformation and is key for Vietnamese SMEs to retain a competitive edge. On December 3, the USAID Linkages for Small and Medium Enterprises (LinkSME) project and Ministry of Planning and Investment’s (MPI’s) Agency for Enterprise Development (AED) held a launching ceremony for the “Supporting Enterprises’ Digital Transformation from 2021 to 2025” program in Hanoi.
Quang Nam province in Vietnam is experiencing a decline in natural forests due to the expansion of large acacia and rubber plantations; illegal logging and the conversion of forests to annual cropland; and infrastructure development for hydropower and roads. In September 2020, the USAID Green Annamites project completed a Carbon Assessment and Investment Case. This information was used in a discussion with potential investors to advance Quang Nam’s Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation in Developing Countries (REDD+)* efforts and attract purchase of carbon credits from the province, offsetting these companies’ carbon footprints and supporting forest protection.
In July 2019, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended a fixed dose combination of Tenofovir–Lamivudine–Dolutegravir (TLD) to treat HIV/AIDS as it is more effective and has fewer side effects, which results in fewer patients dropping out of treatment. In response, over the last year, USAID has provided extensive support to the Vietnam Administration for HIV/AIDS Control (VAAC) to advocate for TLD to be covered by SHI. This included documenting evidence of TLD’s efficacy; conducting a cost effectiveness and budget impact analysis; preparing a comprehensive dossier for the Ministry of Health’s (MOH’s) approval; soliciting public comments; and developing policy documents. On November 26, MOH issued Circular 20/2020-TT-BYT, adding TLD to the SHI-covered drug list. The Circular will take effect on January 15, 2021.
Wildlife trafficking is a transnational criminal enterprise that generates billions of dollars of illicit revenue annually, threatens national security, undermines the rule of law, and facilitates the spread of infectious diseases. Wildlife trafficking in Vietnam has increased rapidly over the last decade as a result of the consistently high demand for domestic and internationally-derived wildlife products. On November 17, USAID Saving Species, in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), launched an awareness raising and social behavior change communication (SBCC) campaign on wildlife protection to address buyers and users’ limited awareness of the legal consequences for illegal wildlife violations(1).
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