One Health Partnership Pandemic Working Group Workshop
Viet Nam One Health Partnership established a Technical Working Group (TWG) on Wildlife and Pandemic Prevention since 2021 to support the whole governments and society’s efforts to prevent future pandemics by managing the human-animal-ecosystem interface with focus on restricting commercial wildlife trade and consumption. The TWG members consisted of representative from Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), Ministry of Health (MOH), Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MONRE) and a group of development partners called Pandemic Prevention Task Force (PPTF).
The last meeting of the TWG, organized in November 2021, agreed on the TWG TOR and way forward to develop the TWG work plan. FAO Viet Nam ECTAD, with financial support from USAID, collaborated with One Health Partnership Secretariat (MARD International Cooperation Department) organized this TWG meeting is organized to share updates from development partners working on wildlife and pandemic prevention, and to further develop the TWG work plan contributing to the OH Master Plan 2021 – 2025 launched in 2022.
Pawin Padungtod, FAO Viet Nam ECTAD Senior Technical Coordinator, co-chair the meeting with Ms Nguyen Hoang Anh, Deputy Director of MONRE Environmental Management Agency. All participants shared update on One Health activities contributing to the OH Master Plan. Pawin presented technical update on COVID-19 and influenza situation in both animals and humans, zoonoses risk along wildlife value chain and led the plenary discussion to identify key actions to restrict the commercial trade and consumption of wildlife with high risk on public health.