VIETNAM'S NOMINATION FOR PUBLIC DIPLOMACY ACTIVITIES TO

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 HANOI 000280

SIPDIS

STATE FOR INR (RAYMOND LESTER),G/AIAG (CAROLINE MEIRS, CHARLES
PATTERSON),EAP/MLS (DOUG SONNEK),EAP/PD (JDAVIES, LHIGH)

STATE PASS TO HHS/OGHA (EELVANDER, DBELL AND ABHAT)

SENSITIVE

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E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: SENV TBIO KFLU KPAO KSCA EAGR AID AMGT VM
SUBJECT: VIETNAM'S NOMINATION FOR PUBLIC DIPLOMACY ACTIVITIES TO
ADDRESS THREAT OF AVIAN AND HUMAN PANDEMIC

REF: STATE 05323


1. (SBU) Summary: Mission Vietnam submits this activity proposal
for consideration under the Avian Influenza Action Group's (AIAG)
program to promote public diplomacy and communicate U.S. foreign
policy objectives (reftel). The proposal, "Capacity Strengthening
for Public Health Journalism to Combat Avian Influenza in Vietnam,"
is designed to help significantly enhance the competence of senior
Vietnamese media personnel in understanding and conveying to mass
audiences important messages regarding Avian Influenza. At the same
time, the program will train key personnel in the elements of
investigative journalism, supporting broader themes of good
governance and accountability. The intended goal is to foster the
provision of accurate, actionable information to literally tens of
millions in a country already hard hit by the disease. End
Summary.


2. (U) The GVN has been praised by the international donor
community for taking strong action in combating AI since the first
poultry outbreaks in 2003. Despite suffering a total of 93 human
cases and 42 deaths, Vietnam is now considered a "model" in the
region due in large part to nationwide poultry vaccination campaigns
and persistent efforts of all state agencies to mobilize against the
common enemy of H5N1. The battle in Vietnam is not won, however,
and the urgent need exists to educate Vietnam's 84 million people on
issues ranging from government accountability with regard to health
risks to age-old backyard poultry practices. Post is confident that
the propose public diplomacy activities described below will not
only increase understanding of avian and human influenza in the
media and beyond, but will enhance a growing sense of cooperation
and partnership between our two countries. Equally important is the
lasting expertise in public health reporting these Vietnamese
journalists and editors will develop and share, and the appreciation
they will gain of the importance of detecting early signs of a
pandemic before it becomes widespread.


3. (SBU) Journalists in Vietnam have an important role to play, as
they begin to take on investigative reporting roles that challenge
the current governance norms at all levels. However, there is no
real tradition of investigative journalism in Vietnam, and training
for most members of the media does not include the expertise
building or specialization that one finds in the United States and
other nations with free media. Mission Vietnam's project, as
proposed, seeks to help train a cadre of health and science
journalists to build public awareness at grassroots levels via mass
media outlets, namely newspaper and television. The activity will
be managed by PAS staff, with significant input and assistance from
the ESTH's and HHS Health Attache's offices. It will complement
ongoing efforts by USG implementing partners, including Abt
Associates and CARE International, who are members of the PAHI's
information, education and communications (IEC) network, whose
activities include social marketing, and public announcement
broadcasting systems as well as posters and billboards.


4. (U) The global goal is an informed and educated media that
understands their role in informing the public, and engages them by
galvanizing public opinion and actions to support preparedness,
surveillance and detection, and response and containment efforts.
The activity objective is to develop the capacity of newspaper and
TV journalists and editors on the subject of avian and human
pandemic influenza, thereby enabling the state media in Vietnam to
more fully prepare for and respond to this looming threat. As
proposed, the $50,000 activity would include a targeted study
exchange to the United States for senior writers and editors of
health and science journalism, followed by journalism workshops held
in Hanoi and in Ho Chi Minh City or Can Tho in southern Vietnam.
Post anticipates that other workshop sponsors, including UNICEF,
will provide matching funds of approximately US$10,000.


5. (U) Proposed activities include a targeted study exchange to the
United States for three Vietnamese editors of major news outlets and
one Vietnamese avian influenza expert, who would be hosted by two
professors of a U.S. school of journalism with expertise on public
health reporting. The American hosts (journalism professors) will
then travel to Vietnam to conduct training workshops in northern and
southern Vietnam for approximately 25 Vietnamese journalists. The
training workshops will include basic information on AI from public
health and veterinary perspectives, lessons learned from the study
tour to the U.S., and targeted journalism training with a focus on
health and science journalism. Post anticipates that other donors,
including UNICEF, may co-sponsor one or more of these training
workshops. The PAHI's IEC Network sponsored national AI

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communications workshops in Hanoi on November 29, 2005 and March 3,

2006.


6. (U) Mission Management strongly supports this important public
diplomacy proposal as it directly supports the Mission's Performance
Plan and advances the GVN's Partnership on Avian and Human Pandemic
in Vietnam. The full proposal, with cost breakdowns, will be sent
by email to the AIAG Coordinator Caroline Meirs as requested in
reftel.

ALOISI