[CPEO-MEF] GLOBAL, HEALTH: U.S.-Vietnam Agent Orange Cooperation

[Lenny Siegel <lsiegel@cpeo.org>]

U.S.-Vietnam Cooperation on Issues Related to Agent Orange

Scot Marciel
Deputy Assistant Secretary
Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs
Testimony before the Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific and the Global 
Environment
Committee on Foreign Affairs, Washington, DC
June 4, 2009



Chairman Faleomavaega, Ranking Member Manzullo, and Members of the 
Subcommittee, thank you for inviting me to testify today on the topic of 
United States engagement with Vietnam on issues related to Agent Orange.

Overall Relationship

Since I last testified before this committee on the topic of Agent 
Orange in May 2008, we have continued to make great strides in the 
U.S.-Vietnam bilateral relationship. We are moving forward on a wide 
range of issues, and we discuss matters frankly, even those issues on 
which we do not agree. As a result of our closer ties, we have made 
significant gains in areas ranging from accounting for the remains of 
Americans lost during the Vietnam conflict, to development of bilateral 
trade liberalization measures, to greater cooperation on religious 
freedom protections. Our success in recovering and accounting for the 
remains of Americans lost during the Vietnam conflict, with 642 now 
repatriated to date, deserves special mention as an example of joint 
collaborative efforts. Recently, we have expanded our cooperation into 
new areas, including education, climate change, investment protections, 
and military-to-military relations.

We are implementing a foreign assistance program in Vietnam that is 
growing in both size and scope aimed at supporting economic reform and 
good governance, building a vibrant civil society, and improving health 
and security for the Vietnamese people. Our assistance includes programs 
to address humanitarian needs, including HIV/AIDS treatment and 
prevention, and support for those with disabilities, without regard to 
their cause. Since 1989, the United States has funded more than $44 
million in programs in Vietnam to support people with disabilities; this 
includes significant contributions from the Leahy War Victims Fund.

U.S.-Vietnam Collaborative Efforts

Agent Orange has long been a sensitive issue for both countries, and we 
have differed over the lasting impact of the defoliant on Vietnam. I am 
pleased to say that we are now engaged in practical, constructive 
cooperation. Both the United States and Vietnam agree that the health of 
the Vietnamese people and the safety of its environment will be vital 
for Vietnam’s future. With the support of additional funds approved by 
Congress in FY 2007 and FY 2009, we are moving ahead with collaborative 
efforts to help Vietnam address environmental contamination and related 
health concerns.

Update on USG Activities

The $3 million included in the FY2007 supplemental appropriations bill 
for “environmental remediation and health activities” at “hot spots” in 
Vietnam is central to our efforts to address environmental and health 
concerns. Out of the initial $3 million, $1 million was expended for 
health projects. We also utilized a total of $550,000 for support costs, 
staffing to implement the Dioxin/Agent Orange program through FY 2010, 
and invitational travel to Vietnam for U.S. experts in dioxin 
remediation. The remaining $1.45 million has been budgeted for 
environmental containment and remediation activities. We have focused 
our efforts on the Danang “hotspot,” as the Government of Vietnam has 
requested assistance from the United States there.

In September 2008, USAID entered into three-year Cooperative Agreements 
with three U.S. Private Voluntary Organizations: Save the Children 
Foundation, East Meets West Foundation, and Vietnam Assistance for the 
Handicapped. Under these agreements, people with disabilities in the 
Danang area are provided with health and rehabilitation services and 
livelihood development support. We were pleased to have a Government of 
Vietnam representative on the panel that selected these projects.

Already, these organizations have provided valuable services to the 
disabled community in Danang. Vietnam Assistance for the Handicapped 
sponsored training for 22 medical professionals in Danang by U.S.-based 
physicians and provided rehabilitation services to 66 disabled people, 
including nine corrective surgeries. The East Meets West Foundation 
conducted a baseline needs assessment for the disabled population of the 
greater Danang area and provided medical screening for more than 3,000 
people. Save the Children Foundation sponsored the first job fair in 
Danang to include people with disabilities. I am pleased to note that 20 
of the 72 disabled participants received immediate offers of employment. 
In addition, our partners are working closely with local authorities to 
develop an integrated action plan to support people with disabilities in 
Danang.

We are also moving forward on environmental projects. Our Embassy in 
Hanoi is working closely with the Government of Vietnam to finalize an 
environmental remediation program for dioxin hotspots at the Danang 
Airport. With support from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and 
building upon important Ford Foundation initiatives, USAID has worked in 
close coordination with the Government of Vietnam and other donors to 
design and implement a comprehensive remediation program.

As a first step, USAID has developed a project focusing on an 
environmental assessment and environmentally sound design and planning 
for containment of dioxin at the Danang airport. I am happy to report 
that the procurement process for these efforts is already underway.

Future USG Activities

We are pleased that an additional $3 million in FY2009 funding is 
available for Agent Orange/dioxin activities in Vietnam. We plan to use 
approximately $1 million of this funding for further support of 
environmental health activities and the remaining $2 million for 
environmental remediation efforts. We will also continue to consult with 
our Vietnamese partners to ensure the most productive use of U.S. support.

Conclusion

The governments of the United States and Vietnam have jointly cooperated 
on the issue of dioxin contamination since 2001. Our aim has been to 
strengthen the scientific capacity and infrastructure of Vietnam’s 
research institutions and improve the ability of Vietnamese authorities 
to protect the environment and promote public health for future generations.

Our collaboration with Vietnam on Agent Orange/dioxin issues extends 
well beyond the government-to-government dialogue. This week’s meeting 
of the U.S.-Vietnam Dialogue Group on Agent Orange/Dioxin and the Fourth 
Annual U.S.-Vietnam Joint Advisory Committee meeting, planned for 
September in Hanoi, are prime examples of the partnerships that are at 
the heart of our efforts. As we move forward, we will work hard to 
ensure U.S. government assistance complements an open and effective 
multi-actor approach to addressing outstanding concerns related to Agent 
Orange.

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to appear before you today. I 
welcome your questions.




For the original version, see
http://www.state.gov/p/eap/rls/rm/2009/06/124351.htm

--


Lenny Siegel
Executive Director, Center for Public Environmental Oversight
a project of the Pacific Studies Center
278-A Hope St., Mountain View, CA 94041
Voice: 650/961-8918 or 650/969-1545
Fax: 650/961-8918
<lsiegel@cpeo.org>
http://www.cpeo.org




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