VZCZCXRO3726
RR RUEHAST RUEHDH RUEHDT RUEHHM RUEHLN RUEHMA RUEHPB RUEHPOD RUEHRN
RUEHSL RUEHTM RUEHTRO
DE RUEHHI #1284/01 3350835
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 010833Z DEC 09
FM AMEMBASSY HANOI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0500
INFO ASEAN REGIONAL FORUM COLLECTIVE
ENVIRONMENT SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY COLLECTIVE
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEAUSA/DEPT OF HHS WASHINGTON DC
RUEHC/DEPT OF AGRICULTURE WASHINGTON DC
RUEHEG/AMEMBASSY CAIRO 0001
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 0007
RUEHHM/AMCONSUL HO CHI MINH CITY 0213
RUEHPH/CDC ATLANTA GA
RUEHRC/DEPT OF AGRICULTURE USD FAS WASHINGTON DC
RUEHRN/USMISSION UN ROME 0002
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 AMEMBASSY HANOI 001284 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
STATE FOR EAP/MLS AND OES/IHB (DFANTOZZI/ CPATTERSON/CSHAPIRO) 
STATE PASS TO USAID GH (GSTEELE, DCARROLL) 
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE FOR OSD/ISA/AP (STERN) 
HHS/OSSI/DSI PASS TO FIC/NIH (RGLASS), OGHA (JMONAHAN/      MABDOO/SCUMMINGS/DMILLER), ASPR (MPERDUE/RROBINSON) 
CDC FOR COGH (SBLOUNT), CCID (SREDD) AND DIV-FLU(NCOX/AMOEN) 
USDA PASS TO APHIS, FAS (OSTA AND OCRA), FSIS 
BANGKOK FOR USAID (MACARTHUR/AATHWIN), APHIS (HHOWARD/RTANAKA) 
GENEVA FOR HHS (DHOHMAN) 
ROME FOR FAO 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: TBIO EAID EAGR PREL KFLU VM
SUBJECT: (SBU) UNSIC advances planning for April 2010 
Inter-Ministerial Conference for "Animal" and Pandemic Influenza 
 
REF: STATE 82863 
 
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED (SBU) 
 
 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary: Senior United Nations (UN), European Union (EU), 
and USG officials met with government of Vietnam (GVN) officials in 
Hanoi on November 25-27 in preparation for the 7th 
Inter-Ministerial Conference for Avian and Pandemic Influenza 
(IMCAPI) to be held in Hanoi on April 19-21.  The highlights of a 
November 27 planning meeting were agreement on the dates for 
IMCAPI, inclusion of a technical phase, and setting overarching 
conference themes.  Prime Minister Dung, the UN Secretary General, 
and 70-100 ministers are expected to attend, and the UN is pressing 
for minister-level attendance from all countries.  The principle 
issue to resolve between now and the April conference is a process 
to develop and reach consensus on a possible joint statement. 
 
 
 
¶2. (SBU) During a meeting with the DCM after the planning session, 
Dr. David Nabarro, UN Assistant Secretary-General, Coordination on 
Avian and Pandemic Influenza and the Global Food Crisis (UNSIC), 
said that to achieve success at the conference attendance by 
high-level, senior health, agricultural, and aid/finance officials 
was critical.  He said USG leadership was similarly critical to the 
success of IMCAPI, stating that in addition to HHS Secretary and 
Undersecretary for Global Affairs (G), it would be extremely 
helpful to have the new USAID Administrator attend.  Further, 
Nabarro was pleased that Minister Phat said he would ask Prime 
Minister Dung to instruct Vietnamese missions overseas to engage 
health and agriculture ministries, stressing that the importance of 
senior level political participation.  He said joint GVN-USG-EU-UN 
demarches would be particularly effective.  End summary. 
 
 
 
¶3. (SBU) UNSIC's Dr. David Nabarro along with Dr. Alain 
Vandersmissen, Avian Influenza External Response Co-coordinator of 
the European Commission (EC), met with GVN officials and other 
stakeholders on November 26-27 to advance planning for 7th IMCAPI 
in Hanoi on April 19-21.  The GVN, the USG and the EU are 
co-sponsoring the conference, with support from UN agencies. 
Growing emphasis on the animal-human nexus (i.e., animals and not 
just birds) in the evolution and spread of influenza prompted a 
change in the title of the meeting, substituting "Animal" for 
"Avian."  In light of waning donor support and the challenges 
presented by the current pandemic on top of the unresolved endemic 
of highly pathogenic avian influenza in several countries, 
including Vietnam, it is hoped the conference participants will 
commit to a way forward. 
 
 
 
¶4. (SBU) Prior to the multilateral meetings, Embassy's HHS/OS staff 
met with EC's Dr. Alain Vandersmissen on November 25 to review U.S. 
cooperative efforts to prevent and prepare for avian and severe 
pandemic influenza in Vietnam.  Vandersmissen noted the EU, which 
has pledged USD 200K for travel of delegations from developing 
countries outside of Africa, argued that the April 19-21 meeting 
should focus on "political issues" and avoid be side-tracked into 
"technical ones," especially from UN agencies.  While the EC 
supports incorporating the broader theme of an animal-human 
interface, it does not support the "One World, One Health" labeling 
as proposed in some quarters, noting that it is too diffuse and 
 
HANOI 00001284  002 OF 004 
 
 
already used by the Wildlife Conservation Society, based on an 
ecological set of principles, albeit related to an animal-human 
interface. 
 
 
 
¶5. (SBU) Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) 
Minister Cao Duc Phat told UNSIC, EC, and a U.S. Embassy official 
during a separate meeting on November 26 that the GVN hoped the 
April conference would also produce a consensus on a broad outlines 
for global cooperation tied to concrete action to be carried out by 
countries and international agencies.  The Minister, who is 
Vietnam's lead for its national inter-ministerial steering 
committee to address highly pathogenic avian influenza, expressed 
concern about waning donor support and highlighted the need to 
raise more financial resources. 
 
 
 
¶6. (SBU) The UN's Nabarro replied that raising additional financial 
commitments before or during the April 19-21 conference was 
unlikely.  Rather, he argued that Cambodia, China, Egypt, 
Indonesia, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam needed to come to the 
conference with "a powerful set of ideas" to sustain and move 
beyond the current global H5N1 and H1N1 response to set a 
"political position around the future," which would be necessary 
for donor countries to respond.  Part of the challenge, according 
to Nabarro, is to explain what is meant by the call for an 
increased emphasis on the "animal-human interface" in the context 
of a longer-term approach that will inspire the international 
community to respond.  Nabarro suggested that Vietnam use its 
upcoming ASEAN chairmanship to promote minister-level attendance at 
the April 19-21 conference and nurture a strong political 
commitment among ASEAN countries.  Minister Phat identified climate 
change as an important issue for Vietnam and suggested it might be 
linked to conference themes.  Nabarro and Phat agreed that the 
conference must not become entangled with the contentious issues 
around sharing of human samples, which is being addressed on a 
separate track.  Because of the importance of involving health and 
agriculture sectors in influenza control, the Dr. Nabarro also met 
with Minister of Health, Professor Nguyen Quoc Trieu, covering 
similar ground as with Minister Phat and stressed the global 
importance of the conference. 
 
 
 
¶7. (U) As for the IMCAPI planning meeting itself, MARD's Vice 
Minister Bui Ba Bong chaired the third in-country working group 
meeting on IMCAPI preparations on November 27.  The working group 
is based on Vietnam's Partnership for Avian and Human Influenza 
(PAHI) and brings together various ministries, international 
agencies, donor countries, and other stakeholders.  The group 
provides recommendations to the GVN's organizing committee for 
IMCAPI; Post's input has been guided by reftel.  Discussion at the 
meeting centered on the name of the conference, dates, venue, 
scope, inclusion of a technical phase for the conference, and 
processes related to issuing invitations, finalizing the agenda, 
and developing a possible joint statement.  The chair listed 
commitments to date to support the conference: USD 500K from USAID, 
200K from EU, and roughly 170K to date from the GVN.  Lesser and 
in-kind support has been provided by the Hanoi offices of the World 
Bank, Food and Agriculture Organization, and UN Development 
Program. 
 
HANOI 00001284  003 OF 004 
 
 
April 19-21 Meeting: Donor Support and Logistics 
 
-------------------------------------------- 
 
 
 
¶8. (SBU) The GVN expects 500 to 700 attendees, including Vietnam's 
Prime Minister, UN Secretary General, 70 to 100 ministers, heads of 
regional and international organizations, development banks, 
foundations, and research bodies.  When ministers cannot attend, 
they should be replaced by the highest-level officials possible. 
According to GVN officials, day one of the conference will be more 
technical; days two-three will be more political and geared toward 
Ministers.  Based on earlier conferences, the GVN expects up to 100 
ministers of health, agriculture, and finance are expected, with 
participation by Vietnam's Prime Minister.  The in-country IMCAPI 
planning group agreed that conference success will be judged by the 
strength of commitment to a way forward for 
 
 
 
--a) eradication of H5N1/A highly pathogenic avian influenza, 
 
--b) ensuring readiness to respond to future influenza pandemics, 
and, 
 
--c) protection from emerging health threats of animal origin 
through efficient, sustainable, and integrated systems. 
 
 
 
Participants in the planning meeting voiced various cautionary 
notes about the April 19-21 conference: 
 
 
 
--planning must achieve the right balance between animal and human 
elements in the agenda, joint statement, and participation; 
 
--discussion on 2009 H1N1 influenza A should be forward looking; 
 
--Articulation of resource needs should assist with future 
mobilization; 
 
--Discussions should not be dominated by debates on virus and 
benefits sharing; and 
 
--the conference statement must look forward, and be firm and 
clear. 
 
 
 
¶9. (SBU) Dr. Nabarro along with Dr. Julie Hall, World Health 
Organization expert on influenza and emerging infectious diseases, 
called on the DCM on November 27.  Nabarro noted the USG has been 
the fundamental source of energy driving progress over the last 
years in combating H5N1 and currently 2009 H1N1.  Vietnam was the 
optimal choice of nations to host IMCAPI given it is the global 
crucible of challenges and significant success.  Nabarro reiterated 
that the April meeting should be political in nature.  He requested 
Post's support in securing high-level USG attendance, offering that 
many countries based their level of attendance on the level of USG 
participation, specifically naming HHS Secretary and G, adding it 
would be extremely helpful to also have the new USAID Administrator 
attend. 
 
HANOI 00001284  004 OF 004 
 
 
¶10. (SBU) Further, Nabarro noted that there is valid skepticism 
that the parties will develop a joint conference statement, given 
the historic failures to do so.  Yet he was very optimistic but 
listed four potential risks for failure: the statement could be 
hijacked by the sample sharing controversy, some countries could 
try to make direct calls for increased donor support, occurrence of 
a new 2009 H1N1-related emergency or other emerging plague with 
pandemic potential, and a statement of insufficient weight in the 
eyes of Washington or Brussels. 
Michalak