USAID to Fund Vietnam $10M to Fight Wildlife Trafficking in 2016-2021

U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam Ted Osius on November 18 announced a wildlife crime reduction project that would receive funding worth $10 million from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). The project, implemented from 2016 to 2021, aims to reduce the impact of wildlife crime on endangered and threatened species through improving the legal framework for combating wildlife crime in Vietnam. This is part of broader U.S. government efforts to fight wildlife trafficking as announced by President Barack Obama at the ASEAN Summit held in Laos in September. Vietnam is a priority country for the U.S. under the Presidential Executive Order and U.S. National Strategy to Combat Wildlife Trafficking. Speaking at the Creative Partnership to Combat Wildlife Trafficking panel discussion held at the American Center in Hanoi on Nov 25, Ambassador Osius said the U.S. side is “pleased to work alongside the Government of Vietnam, national conservation groups and local communities to make a real difference in saving endangered and endemic species in the country.” A representative from the U.S. Department of State highlighted the integration of technology in tackling wildlife issues as a new way to get the message out. (Lao Dong – Labor Nov 18, Vietnam News Nov 18)