HANOI, April 23 (Bernama): Vietnam has called for the early launch of an Asean portal for digital vaccination certification and suggested considering expanding its coverage to the bloc’s partners to facilitate trade, travelling and tourism both in and outside the region.
Ambassador Vu Ho, acting head of SOM Vietnam, made the call when addressing the 8th meeting of the Asean Coordinating Council Working Group on Public Health Emergencies (ACCWG-PHE) and the Asean Joint Consultative Meeting (JCM), held online on Wednesday under the chair of Cambodia.
According to Vietnam News Agency (VNA), the ambassador also underlined the need to enhance public awareness about disease prevention and control through diverse communication forms suitable for each group of target audience.
He urged Asean health officials to actively hold discussions and consultations towards the early establishment and launch of the Asean Centre for Public Health Emergencies and Emerging Diseases (ACPHEED) to help Asean enhance its capacity in preventing, controlling and responding to health emergencies.
Regarding the process of Asean Community building, the ambassador reiterated Vietnam’s support for Chair Cambodia’s initiatives and appreciated the work of the High-Level Task Force (HLTF) on Asean Community's Post-2025 Vision.
The Vietnamese representative also expressed his hope that following the first Asean high-level forum on sub-regional cooperation for sustainable development and inclusive growth hosted by Vietnam last October, the second such forum will be held this year to provide a venue for further in-depth and extensive discussion on the matter, thus contributing to the Asean Community building process. - Bernama
