TRAFFIC and USAID launch video PSA against rhino horn consumption in Viet Nam
Ha Noi, Viet Nam, 31st August 2020—As part of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Wildlife Asia project, TRAFFIC has launched a new video public service announcement (PSA) for the Chi Initiative. The video reminds audiences that a person’s true strength comes from within, not from a status symbol such as rhino horn. The initiative gets its name from the concept of inner strength, “Chi” in Vietnamese.
The video is the latest in a series of materials released by the Chi Initiative, a social marketing programme targeting middle-aged, wealthy businesspeople in Viet Nam—a key rhino horn consumption group. The campaign encourages local businesspeople to become Chi Champions by taking a stand against the consumption of illegal wildlife products and leading the country into a new era that views buying or using rhino horn as unacceptable. The current phase of the initiative has so far reached around 3.5 million people and encouraged around 20,000 more, including influential members of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and Central Committee for Propaganda and Education, to commit to living a wildlife products-free lifestyle.
“I believe that your success today comes from your determination in the past. To succeed, you must never stop trying. [Success] will never come from an item made from an exotic or endangered animal. With Viet Nam increasingly integrating into the global economy, you risk losing prestige, global recognition, and respect by using illegal wildlife products,” said Pham Thanh Hung, vice chairman of CenGroup Holdings and a Chi Champion.
Created by TRAFFIC in 2014, the Chi Initiative has used extensive consumer research and input from the local business community to implement interventions focused on changing the behaviour of target audiences. The programme has promoted the uptake of wildlife-focused corporate social responsibility throughout the Vietnamese private sector.
A short and long version of the video are being disseminated widely online through Facebook, YouTube, news sites, and through Chi partner organisations.
According to the Counter Wildlife Trafficking Digest 2019, jointly published by USAID and TRAFFIC, Viet Nam is a prominent country in the illegal trade in rhino horn and an important part of the trafficking route of rhino horn to China.
About USAID Wildlife Asia
USAID Wildlife Asia works to address wildlife trafficking as a transnational crime. The project works to reduce consumer demand for wildlife parts and products, strengthen law enforcement, enhance legal and political commitment and support regional collaboration to reduce wildlife crime in Southeast Asia, particularly Cambodia, China, Laos, Thailand and Viet Nam. USAID Wildlife Asia focuses on four species: elephant, rhinoceros, tiger and pangolin. For more information, please visit www.usaidwildlifeasia.org
About USAID
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is responsible for the majority of overseas development assistance from the United States Government and works to end extreme poverty and promote resilient, democratic societies while advancing security and prosperity for America and the world. www.usaid.gov/
About TRAFFIC
TRAFFIC is a leading non-governmental organisation working to ensure that trade in wild species is legal and sustainable, for the benefit of the planet and people.
