Speeches Shim
From July to November 2018, USAID’s Saving Species and Governance for Inclusive Growth activities collaborated to support the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to hold a national consultation workshop as well as review, provide input, and help draft a new decree to protect Vietnam’s endangered, rare, and precious fauna and flora. On January 22, the Prime Minister of Vietnam approved this new Decree which enables Vietnam to implement requirements of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), an international treaty.
On January 24, the USAID Linkages for Small and Medium Enterprises (LinkSME) Advisory Group held its inaugural meeting in Hanoi. This Advisory Group consists of leading experts and consultants from business associations and government ministries. The group will meet quarterly throughout the life of the five-year project to provide technical input and guidance as it encounters challenges.
E-commerce business in Vietnam is growing at a rate of more than 20% per year. As a result, traffickers and criminal networks are increasingly exploiting e-commerce websites, courier service companies, and social media platforms to trade in illicit wildlife products. In response to this, on the 9th and 18th January, the USAID Saving Species project supported the Vietnam E-commerce Association (VECOM) to organize two workshops for approximately 100 member enterprises.
In January 2019, Vietnam’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) issued the “National Plan for Avian Influenza Disease Prevention and Control 2019-2025” to detect, prevent, and respond to potentially pandemic avian influenza. This new National Plan builds on previous strategies and plans in place since avian influenza was first detected in Vietnam in 2003.
Vietnam’s Payment for Forest Environmental Services (PFES) mechanism has generated nearly $400 million for improved forest protection since it was first piloted in 2008. To date, payments to rural forest owners have been made mainly in cash. Cash payments present security risks, require complex and time-consuming travel, and create opportunities for corruption.
Comment
Make a general inquiry or suggest an improvement.