FAO Helps Vietnam Raise Livestock Capacity with USAID’s Financial Aid

The United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) helped Vietnam increase the capacity for the animal health and livestock sector from 2015 to 2020, with the financial aid from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), state media reported. Besides, the FAO and the USAID supported the country in building tool sets to prevent, prepare for, early detect, and respond to zoonotic diseases, emerging infectious diseases, and antimicrobial resistance (AMR). The information was revealed at a recent workshop in Hanoi to review the second five-year period of the Emerging Pandemic Threats (EPT-2) program, with the participation of over 100 delegates from the vet sector, health sector, wildlife protection organizations, and international sponsors. At the workshop, Dr. Pawin Padungtod, senior technical coordinator at the FAO Emergency Center for Transboundary Animal Diseases (ECTAD), emphasized that the cooperation among the FAO, the USAID, and Vietnam’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) will not end although this was the concluding workshop for the project. The FAO will continue cooperating with Vietnam to further reduce the risk and impacts of emerging infectious diseases, transboundary animal diseases, and AMR in the next years, the official affirmed. (Quan Doi Nhan Dan, QDND)