National Environmental Health Action Plan and the First National Forum on Environmental Health in Vietnam

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National Environmental Health Action Plan and
the First National Forum on Environmental
Health in Vietnam

• Duong Thi To
• Center for Environmental consulting, training and
  technology transfer (CECT)
• Vietnam Environment Protection Agency (VEPA)

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To follow up the recommendations derived from 1st
ASEAN meeting on environmental health

• review
• on existing studies on environmental health in
  Vietnam

web-page on environment and health in Vietnam
Draft NEHAP

• SETTING UP AN WORKING GROUP ON ENVIRONMENTAL
  HEALT
• TO PREPARE FOR
• the first National Forum on Environmental Health

• Draft Inter-ministerial Circular
• on strengthening environmental health activities
  in Vietnam.

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National Environmental Health Action Plan
Overall Objective
To ensure people live in safe environment that
benefits their health and simultaneously prevent
and minimize hazardous health impacts induced by
environmental factors.
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National Environmental Health Action Plan
Specific objective
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National Environmental Health Action Plan
Priority Action 1
Improve policy, institutional and legislative
systems serving for the EH state management
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National Environmental Health Action Plan
Priority Action 2
Establishing and developing surveillance and
monitoring systems on EH impacts serving for
prevention and control risks and emergencies.
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National Environmental Health Action Plan
Priority action 3
Increasing capacity, comprehensively planning,
and investing to enhancing reserch works on
Environmental Health Impact Assessment (EHIA)
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National Environmental Health Action Plan
Priority action 4
Increasing awareness of the leaderships at all
levels and community of Envionmental health
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The first National Forum on Environmental Health

• Follow up the recommendations of the High - level
  Meeting on Health and Environment in ASEAN and
  East Asian countries with the support from WHO,
  VEPA-MoNRE,in close cooperation with Department
  of Preventive Medicine (DPM)-MoH, has organized
  the first National Forum on Environmental Health
  in 29 November 2005 in Hanoi.

• The Forum has successfully taken placed, marking
  a breakthrough in dealing with Environmental
  health (EH) problems in Vietnam.
• The great success of this Forum is because of

• Enormous efforts made by relevant parties
  particularly by VEPA (with CECT as a focal
  point) MoNRE and DPM MoH. CECT have carried
  out many activities responding to the
  recommendations given in the Meeting to prepare
  for the Forum as follows

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(No Transcript)
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Over 140 participants from relevant parties,
international organizations, NGOs etc.
Co-chaired by Deputy Ministers of MoNRE and MoH

• A wide range of EH issues has been raised at the
  forum
• Orientation of EH activities at global and
  regional level.
• Cooperative mechanism
• EH related researches
• HIA
• Draft NEHAP

Many comments on issues raised at the Forum
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Major comments and recommendations
1. The NEHAP should be developed to serve for
lager scope of activities and longer time-frame.
Technical and financial support from
international communities is essentially needed
to help Vietnam in the preparation of its NEHAP
for better outcomes.
2. The development of National Environmental
Health Profile (NEHP) and Database (NEHD) should
be given with highest priority to conduct on
regular basis.
3. Annually develop the map of EH hot-spots in
Vietnam to serve for decision-making
4. Cooperative mechanisms among relevant
stakeholders should be created and facilitated
to strengthen environmental health activities
in Vietnam
5. National Forum on EH should be organized on
regular basis (annually or quarterly) to
facilitate information sharing and experience
exchange among relevant stakeholders
6. The establishment of a National Center for
Environmental health as a national focal point in
terms of environmental health should be taken
into account
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• Thank you very much !