Delegates launch new Public Service Announcements (PSAs), including images and messages, as part of its Chi initiative phase 3 in Hanoi on December 18. (Photo: VNS/VNA)Hanoi (VNS/VNA) -The US Agency for International Development (USAID) Wildlife Asia has releasednew Public Service Announcements (PSAs) as part of the third phase of the Chiinitiative – a communication programme to help decrease consumer demand forrhino horn in Vietnam.
Launched in August 2018, thethird phase of the Chi initiative focused on reducing demand for rhino horn andother illegal wildlife products among Vietnamese businessmen – a key consumerdemographic. Vietnam is a key destination and transit country for rhino hornand other illegal wildlife products. Reducing demand for rhino products in thecountry is integral to decreasing trade flows and combating poaching.
Rhino horn products areconsumed in Vietnam largely for their perceived health benefits and reflectionof wealth and status. The two new PSAs, including two images and messages,challenge these beliefs.
The first PSA emphasises thefact that strength and stamina do not come from consuming wildlife products,but instead are the direct results of work and perseverance.
The second PSA highlights theincompatibility of wildlife consumption with international business practices.It stresses the risks, including the loss of prestige and reputation, of using,buying, or gifting illegal wildlife products such as rhino horn.
To ensure their effectiveness,the PSAs have been developed in partnership with the Vietnamese businesscommunity. They will be disseminated through multiple media platforms includingprint, billboards, and social media to achieve maximum exposure. They will alsobe promoted by partners such as the Party Central Committee’s Commission forInformation and Education, Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry, VietnamAutomobile and Transport Association, and Vietnam Central Buddhist Association.
The Chi Initiative phase 3, fundedby USAID, was launched in August 2018. The campaign is working to furthermobilise the business community to integrate the protection of wildlife as anelement of corporate social responsibility and as a means of making Vietnamesebusinesses more competitive
TRAFFIC, a non-governmentalorganisation working on the wildlife trade, launched the first phase of the Chiinitiative in 2014 based on consumer research which identified wealthyVietnamese businessmen between the ages of 35 and 55 year as a key rhino hornuser group. The overarching message of Chi drives the concept that success,masculinity, and good fortune come from an individual’s strength of characterand not from the use of illegal wildlife products./.
VNA
