Vietnam: Media for One Health project launched in Hanoi
Related project
Media for One healthThe Media for One Health project, funded by the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs and implemented by CFI, in collaboration with the French Agricultural Research Centre for International Development (CIRAD), was officially launched on 20 May, in Vietnam.
Between now and February 2025, 12 journalists from each target country will be trained to produce content that encourages people to think about their environment in line with a new approach: the ‘one health’ approach.
Media for One Health: A project to get people to think differently about health
In South-East Asia, human and animal densities are among the highest in the world. The pressure that societies exert on the environment (deforestation, urbanisation, transport), coupled with the consequences of global warming (droughts, typhoons, flooding), can have a major impact on health. This situation means that we can no longer compartmentalise environmental, veterinary and medical issues, rather we must develop a more comprehensive vision of health that takes account of the interdependence of ecosystems, and animal and human health. This approach constitutes the ‘One Heath’ concept.
However, this approach remains poorly understood by the populations in question and by the media in Southeast Asia. Environmental information is marginal in this region and is often limited to simple accounts of natural disasters. The Media for One Health project has set itself the task of strengthening the skills of the media in Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and the Philippines to produce content in relation to the One Health approach.
The aim: “to involve all communities”
The project launch event, on 20 May, in Hanoi, was attended by 45 representatives of political bodies, the media, international organisations and civil society, as well as numerous scientists and the 12 journalists selected to take part in this project.
Vu Thi Phuong, coordinator of the One Health partnership for the Ministry for Agriculture and Rural Development, and Gilles Angles, Health Cooperation Attaché at the French Embassy in Vietnam, gave the opening address. They stressed the key role of media professionals in raising public awareness and in implementing measures to prevent health crises. Through its training sessions, the Media for One Health project will enable journalists to acquire the skills they need to cover the issues associated with this concept in a comprehensive manner, thereby promoting an informed public discourse.
Dr Pham Duc Phuc, coordinator of the Vietnam One Health University Network (VOHUN) and director of the Institute of Environmental Health and Sustainable Development (IEHSD), gave a presentation to the audience on the specifics of the One Health concept in Vietnam, which was followed by a lively debate. The active audience participation highlighted the importance of communication in gaining an understanding of the concept, as well as the challenges faced by the media in covering the approach in Vietnam. The second part of the event focused on the role of the media and public engagement in the success of the One Health approach.
All the participants who responded to the questionnaire submitted at the seminar went on to say that they thought that the media played a crucial role in raising awareness of the One Health approach by disseminating information to a wide audience.
With the Media for One Health project, a challenge has been set.
