Speeches Shim
The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification program helps farmers and businesses transition from business-as-usual timber production to more sustainable practices, which currently offers almost three times higher economic benefit to producers. The program requires producers to carefully manage social and environmental impacts associated with timber production, such as good practices for planting, thinning, and harvesting timber (e.g., acacia). On June 17-21, USAID’s Green Annamites project trained staff and members of Quang Nam Forestry Development and Investment Joint Stock Company (QNAFOR) and Hiep Thuan Agriculture Cooperative in Quang Nam province to assess newly planted and thinned acacia plantations in accordance with FSC standards. Earlier, the USAID project also provided these two partners with technical trainings on planting and tending timber plantations following FSC standards.
Vietnam is undergoing a period of rapid economic development, and the demand for livestock has dramatically increased. To reduce disease risks along the supply chain, USAID and Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), through the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization, have supported Bac Giang Department of Livestock Production to develop and pilot a checklist for auditing veterinary hygiene conditions.
Rehabilitation services are crucial in helping persons with disabilities develop or restore their daily functions, like dressing themselves up and eating without help, the enabling factor for social participation. Despite its significance, rehabilitation services in Vietnam have remained underdeveloped. To address this, USAID is helping Vietnam’s rehabilitation hospitals and medical centers improve their management capacity for rehabilitation services.
On June 12, USAID/Vietnam wrapped up its five-year Partner Capacity Development (PCD) program, which aimed to build and improve the capacity of local NGOs and their staff. In his opening remarks, Mission Director Michael Greene highlighted the program’s contribution to strengthening human and institutional capacity of local organizations.
Recently, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended that to treat HIV/AIDS, countries should phase out Nevirapine (NVP) based regimens and transition to superior drugs such as fixed dose combination of Tenofovir – Lamivudine – Dolutegravir (TLD). Hence, key international donors for HIV/AIDS in Vietnam, including PEPFAR and the Global Fund, requested Vietnam to develop a transition plan for TLD. In order to accomplish this, the Vietnamese Government needs to do extensive coordination to assess the current situation and develop a plan for successful transition to TLD.
Comment
Make a general inquiry or suggest an improvement.