International conference on gender opens in Hanoi
4/12/19
Delegates from 18
countries and many international organisations are gathering in Hanoi for the
4th Gender Focal Point Conference, which is jointly held by the Colombo Plan
Gender Affairs Programme and the Vietnam Women’s
Union (VWU).
The event, held annually since 2016 to garner global support to address main
challenges to women and children, takes the theme “Gender Empowerment,
Sustainability and Resource Mobilisation” this year.
Addressing the conference, Chairwoman of the VWU Nguyen Thi Thu Ha affirmed
that Vietnam always supports and actively participates in multi-lateral
mechanisms for women, including the Colombo Plan.
She urged participants to share their experiences and good practice in
promoting gender equality, and join hands to strive for the cause of gender equality,
development and peace in the region and the world.
Vietnam’s Deputy Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Le Tan Dung
stressed that gender equality has always been among the strongest commitments
and top priorities of the Vietnamese Government.
He noted that the country’s Gender Inequality Index is 0.304, ranking 67th out
of 160 countries. The ratio of women in the country’s parliament, at 27.06
percent, is among the highest in the Asia-Pacific region. Vietnam also has the
first Chairwoman of the National Assembly. In addition, Vietnam has one of
the highest female labour-force participation rates at 71.2 percent,
and 26.54 percent of the country’s enterprises are run by women.
At the same time, the country still faces numerous challenges from traditional
to newly-emerging ones, such as violence against women and girls, the Fourth
Industrial Revolution’s impacts on women’s jobs and economic positions, among
others, according to the Deputy Minister.
He said the Vietnamese Government is taking many measures to address those
challenges.
The 4th Gender Focal Point Conference is the venue to participants to discuss
urgent global and regional issues facing women and children, with a focus on
sustainability and resource mobilization to ensure the sustainability of
established networks and organisations./.
All comments [ 21 ]
A number of activities have been taking place across Vietnam in response to the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women (November 25) and Human Rights Day (December 10).
Eradicating violence against women must be the top priority for all men, women, governments and businesses.
Vietnam has boosted efforts to break the culture of silence and impunity and ensure that sexual violence is unforgivable in any circumstances and any place in the country.
All people have a role to play in creating a culture of zero tolerance to any forms of sexual violence.
We should call for joint efforts to end violence against women and girls in Vietnam for a future free of sexual violence and gender-based violence.
The Vietnamese Prime Minister approved a national action programme on gender equality for 2016-2020. This programme holds a national action month from November 15 to December 15 each year to promote gender equality and fight violence against women and girls in the country.
Vietnam’s commitments to enhancing and protecting ASEAN Human Rights. I hope that the workshop would create opportunities for competent sides to discuss measures to promote gender equality.
Vietnam has recorded gender equality achievements in political and economic sectors since the Law on Gender Equality took effect.
The Law on Gender Equality was approved by the Vietnamese National Assembly in 2006 and took effect in 2007. This marked a progressive step towards ensuring gender equality in Vietnam.
Empowering women, especially the right to engage in politics, must be ensured. It is compulsory to have women taking a role in local Party committees and People’s councils.
Over the past ten years, an important change has been made. That is the change in awareness of men towards women and girls. The changes are present in every family.
The achievement has been made not by any single individual but contributions of agencies specialising in gender equality work.
Vietnam experienced a decrease in gender parity for women in ministerial positions and fully closed the gender gap among its technical and professional workers.
Worldwide progress has been made over the last few decades in increasing women’s labour force participation and narrowing gender income gaps, but more efforts are needed to make gender equality in the world of work a reality.
Viet Nam has a strong track record of promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment. Viet Nam’s efforts are reflected in its legislative framework, which was strengthened with the passage of two laws, the 2006 Law on Gender Equality and the 2007 Law on thePrevention and Control of Domestic Violence.
Thanks to Party guidelines, State policies, and active involvement by sectors at all level, gender equality results have boosted Vietnam’s socio-economic development.
The UN’s Millennium Development Goals report in 2013 said Vietnam completed the goals of gender equality and raising women’s status two years ahead of schedule.
Vietnamese women account for more than half of the population and nearly half of the labor force. The percentage of female National Assembly deputies from 2016 to 2021 is 26.8%, one of the highest percentages of female National Assembly deputies in the world.
Vietnam’s human rights efforts, in accordance with the UN Universal Periodic Review Mechanism of which Vietnam was a member from 2014-2016, have focused on areas with serious inequality or a high risk of inequality.
The Vietnamese government has enhanced international cooperation to improve public awareness on gender equality, eliminate gender violence, and narrow the employment, income, and social status gaps.
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