Vietnamese Ambassador to the US Nguyễn Quốc Dũng, USABCI President and CEO Margaret Hanson-Muse (middle) and Atlas Air Worldwide CEO Michael Steen (right) pose for a photo. VNA/VNS Photo

WASHINGTON — The US-ASEAN Business Council Institute (USABCI) is stepping up efforts to mobilise resources from the US business community to help Vietnam locate and identify its wartime missing.

In its latest activity, USABCI connected Atlas Air with the Vietnamese Embassy in Washington DC on Thursday (local time) to introduce the company's participation in the Việt Nam War Accounting Initiative (VWAI).

The initiative, established by the US Government, supports Việt Nam's efforts to search for, verify and identify those missing from the war. As an official implementation partner, USABCI works to mobilise resources from the US business community and connect Việt Nam's needs with the expertise, resources and contributions of the private sector.

VWAI focuses on four areas: digitising archival records; DNA testing for identification; field searches and recovery of remains; and information exchange and dialogue. To date, the initiative has mobilised US$360,000 from the private sector to support its activities.

VWAI has also conducted cooperation activities with Vietnamese agencies and organisations. Its delegation visited Việt Nam from June 1-5 and held a dialogue with the Ministry of National Defence on August 10. USABCI has also brought US businesses to Việt Nam to gain first-hand knowledge of local needs and field operations.

Speaking to Vietnam News Agency correspondents in the US, USABCI President and CEO Margaret Hanson-Muse said USABC is a humanitarian charity. The US Government has facilitated its participation in the initiative to raise private-sector awareness of efforts to search for missing persons and promote reconciliation between the two countries, she said.

Following its involvement in VWAI, USABCI has sought to deepen its contribution and encourage more US businesses to participate, particularly in DNA testing, the search for and recovery of remains, ground-penetrating radar and atmospheric data, Hanson-Muse said.

She explained that USABCI first identifies specific needs in Việt Nam and then looks within its business network for companies with suitable capabilities. It subsequently works with those companies to determine the form of their contributions, either financial or in-kind.

Regarding DNA testing, Hanson-Muse said that during a working session with Việt Nam’s Ministry of National Defence and Vietnamese doctors, the Vietnamese side discussed DNA, reagents and potential support. USABCI is using the funds raised to purchase additional supplies and support Việt Nam's 500-day campaign that aims to accelerate the search for, recovery and identification of martyrs' remains

Hanson-Muse stressed that addressing the issue of those missing during the war is not only a humanitarian matter but also foundational to US-Việt Nam relations. USABCI hopes greater private-sector participation will provide additional resources and technologies for the search, verification and identification of the missing. — VNA/VNS