Speeches Shim
The Government of Vietnam estimates that there are seven million people with disabilities in Vietnam. However, rehabilitation services in the country are far below international standards and are mostly only provided in large cities. Since 2015, USAID has helped Vietnam train and develop its rehabilitation workforce, assisted in developing service standards to improve quality, and advocated for rehabilitation services to be covered by social health insurance. On September 28, at a two-day workshop in Hanoi co-hosted by the Ministry of Health and the Vietnam Rehabilitation Association, USAID was awarded a certificate of appreciation to recognize its valuable support to rehabilitation development assistance in Vietnam. The workshop was attended by almost 200 local and international participants, including the President of the World Federation of Occupational Therapists. Vietnamese and international experts shared best practices and discussed the path forward for developing the rehabilitation sector in Vietnam.
Five members of Vietnam’s Ministry of National Defense (MND), USAID’s key partner in dioxin clean-up efforts, recently attended a week-long study tour in the United States to observe and learn about technologies for treatment of dioxin and other toxic chemicals, and techniques for environmental site restoration and management. The tour, co-funded by USAID and MND, included site visits to an active Superfund site, a treatment technology research facility, and the Presidio of San Francisco - a former military base cleaned-up to create residential, recreational, and open park land.
On October 8, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that Vietnam has eliminated lymphatic filariasis (LF) as a public health problem. LF, commonly known as elephantiasis, is a parasitic disease transmitted to humans via mosquitoes. It causes fluid buildup in the lymph system, leading to severe swelling of the limbs and other body parts, which in turn results in significant social discrimination and economic instability. LF has put millions of people in Vietnam at risk for well over 50 years.
The USAID Governance for Inclusive Growth Program collaborated with the Agency for Enterprise Development under Vietnam’s Ministry of Planning and Investment to conduct a field study and hold consultations in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City to identify challenges and practical solutions to support Vietnam’s small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to integrate into the electronics value chain. On October 4, a consultation workshop was organized in Ho Chi Minh City and attended by representatives of the Economic Committee of the National Assembly, the Office of the Government, ministries, businesses, SMEs, and other stakeholders. Participants discussed how to improve the competitiveness of domestic suppliers and promote local sourcing with existing foreign firms in Vietnam. Representatives from the newly awarded USAID Linkages for Small and Medium Enterprises (LinkSME) activity also participated in the event and will follow up on the key findings.
In recent years, Vietnam has seen a dramatic increase in the illegal trade and consumption of rare and endangered species. USAID/Vietnam’s flagship project to combat wildlife crime, USAID Saving Species, is working with the Vietnam Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) Management Authority (MA) to reduce consumer demand for illegal wildlife, strengthen law enforcement, and improve the legal framework for wildlife crime. From October 1–5, USAID funded a Vietnam CITES MA delegation to attend the 70th CITES Standing Committee’s Meeting in Sochi, Russia and present Vietnam’s National Rhino Horn and Ivory Action Plan to international stakeholders.
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