Special Initiative on Agent Orange/Dioxin

Opportunity for Collective Response

Cooperation and concerted efforts that fully address the environmental and health legacy of Agent Orange/dioxin in Vietnam require action now.

Mme. Ton Nu Thi Ninh, former co-chair of the US Vietnam Dialogue Group on Agent Orange/Dioxin, greets Col. Tran Ngoc Tam, head of the Department of Science, Technology and Environment of the Ministry of Defense.

The foundation is supporting a variety of organizations such as the U.S.-Vietnam Dialogue Group on Agent Orange/Dioxin, which brings together prominent persons from both countries who are seeking to increase awareness and resources around a humanitarian agenda. Ford grantees are launching major programs for children with disabilities; running treatment and counseling centers; reducing the danger to at-risk communities through dioxin containment and public health measures; and conducting related studies. The tasks ahead are substantial. They will require further resources and sustained effort by these organizations and others.

Learn more about the Aspen Institute's Advocacy and Exchange Program on Agent Orange Dioxin.

Learn more about U.S. Fund for UNICEF's special initiative, in partnership with the foundation, to improve healthcare and education for disabled children affected by the exposure of to Agent Orange.

Read about the Dialogue Group's progress at Danang airport, one of Vietnam's largest hot spots of dioxin contamination.

Who is the Dialogue Group

Susan V. Berresford
Convener
U.S.-Vietnam Dialogue Group on Agent Orange/Dioxin
Former President
Ford Foundation

Vietnam Members

Ambassador Ngo Quang Xuan
Co-chair
U.S.-Vietnam Dialogue Group on Agent Orange/Dioxin
Vice Chair
Foreign Affairs Committee
Vietnam National Assembly
Former Ambassador
Permanent Mission of S.R. of Vietnam to the UN & other International Organizations in Geneva
Prof. Vo Quy
Center for Natural Resources & Environmental Studies,
Vietnam National University, Hanoi
Dr. Nguyen Thi Ngoc Phuong
Chief of Obstetrics & Gynecology
Medical University of Ho Chi Minh City
Director-General
Ngoc Tam Hospital Corporation
Do Hoang Long
Deputy Director
People to People Relations Department
Party External Relations Commission
Lt. General Phung Khac Dang
Vice President
Vietnam Veterans Association

U.S. Members

Walter Isaacson
Co-chair
U.S.-Vietnam Dialogue Group on Agent Orange/Dioxin
President and CEO
The Aspen Institute
Christine Todd Whitman
President
Whitman Strategy Group
William Mayer
President and CEO
Park Avenue Equity Partners
Chairman Emeritus
The Aspen Institute
Mary Dolan-Hogrefe
Vice President and Senior Advisor
National Organization on Disability
Director
World Committee on Disability
Dr. Vaughan Turekian
Chief International Officer
American Academy for the Advancement of Science

Dialogue Group Staff

Charles R. Bailey
Director
Special Initiative on Agent Orange/Dioxin
Ford Foundation
Catharin Dalpino
Director
Advocacy & Exchange Program on Agent Orange/Dioxin
The Aspen Institute
James Hoppes
Program Assistant
Advocacy & Exchange Program on Agent Orange/ Dioxin
The Aspen Institute
Suzanne Shea
Grants Administrator
Ford Foundation