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Xin chao and good morning.
It is really an honour and a pleasure to join you today for this important transition ceremony - an incredibly significant milestone that marks not only the achievements of the past eight years but also the beginning of a new chapter: one of national ownership, Ministry of Health stewardship, and long-term sustainability to protect and save young lives in Viet Nam.
As a mum of two (almost) 6 year old daughters, drowning prevention is a topic that hits very close to home, and to the heart. In fact, one of my earliest memories as a child was being at swimming class. I must have been about 3 years old, and somehow got separated from the teacher and the rest of the class, in the very deep end of a very large pool. My mum was watching on, but she had never learnt to swim as a kid and couldn’t do anything to help me – other than screaming at another bystander to jump in and fish me out. Which they did, thank goodness – or, all these years later, I may not have been standing in front of you talking about the importance of drowning prevention today.
So we know from my little story – and more importantly from the evidence and experience – that drowning deaths are preventable. Indeed, in the last few years Viet Nam has demonstrated this. Thanks to strong Government leadership, community participation, assistance from international and local partners including CTFK, and support from Bloomberg Philanthropies, Viet Nam has pioneered one of the most comprehensive child drowning prevention programmes in this region, and globally.
Since 2018, survival swimming and water safety programmes have reached hundreds of thousands of children nationwide. This scale-up was made possible through catalytic support from Bloomberg Philanthropies, which helped unlock substantial local co-funding, and ownership, to expand both survival swimming and dedicated water safety training – critically important for the long-term sustainability of these programs.
I also want to give a very big shout out to the local officials, teachers, parents and swimming instructors in local communities whose efforts week in, week out, have helped get us to the milestone we are celebrating today. Thank you!
As a result of all of these efforts, Viet Nam has succeeded in making communities safer and reducing the risk of children drowning. Now, the aim is to replicate this success right across the country.
Of course, this will not be easy. Despite the excellent progress, drowning remains a significant public health challenge. Climate change, flooding, rapid urbanization, and supervision challenges continue to amplify the risk, especially in rural and disadvantaged communities.
But Viet Nam has already shown that while it is not easy, it is possible. And so today’s transition ceremony is an important chapter in Viet Nam’s drowning prevention story – signaling the Government’s strong commitment to ensuring that drowning prevention remains a core public health responsibility, backed by national systems, institutions, and funding.
To help sustain the progress we have seen to date, as we look to the future WHO humbly encourages an emphasis on five important priorities:
1. Continuing to expand survival swimming programmes – so they reach every child, nationwide;
2. Strengthening childcare and supervision models for young children (including survival swimming skills for adults) – especially for those kids whose homes or schools are nearby water;
3. Infrastructure and other improvements to create safer environments around homes, schools, markets, and water bodies – for example, fences around swimming pools;
4. Enhancing communication and community engagement, especially at the local level; and
5. Strengthening coordination across different sectors, including government agencies and civil society.
WHO is proud to have worked with the Ministry of Health, the ministry formerly known as MOLISA, Bloomberg Philanthropies, CTFK and GHAI, and many dedicated partners over the years to build a strong foundation for drowning prevention in Viet Nam. And, of course, we remain absolutely committed to providing ongoing technical and advocacy support to the Government into the future.
Today’s event is a powerful reminder of what is possible when evidence, leadership, and partnership come together. I’m excited to see the progress that will continue to be made in next phase of this work, and honoured to continue walking alongside you all on this journey.
Xin cảm ơn quý vị - thank you very much!