On the occasion of International Women's Day 2025, United Nations (UN) Resident Coordinator in Vietnam Pauline Tamesis shared with The Gioi Va Viet Nam Newspaper about ways to help Vietnamese women shine in the new era of digital transformation.
 |
| United Nations Resident Coordinator in Vietnam Pauline Tamesis attends the Vietnam Children's Forum. (Source: UN) |
As the UN Resident Coordinator in Vietnam, what is your assessment of the role of women as Vietnam enters a new era?
Accounting for 50.1% of Vietnam’s population (according to the General Statistics Office 2023), women and girls have the potential to drive the country’s digital revolution. Digital technology and artificial intelligence (AI) are becoming the foundation of the modern economy and society, but their benefits and opportunities are not evenly distributed.
In the new era, women and girls can reap the economic benefits of digital transformation, accessing new skills, opportunities and services, by closing the digital gender gap and empowering equal access to digital technology, financial services, markets and networks.
The Global Digital Compact (GDC) provides a comprehensive framework for the digital future and firmly affirms that we cannot achieve that promising future without addressing systemic barriers to women and girls, ensuring they can lead, participate and reap the rewards of the digital future, while ensuring their safety and privacy online.
 |
| Deputy Foreign Minister Do Hung Viet received UN Resident Coordinator in Vietnam Pauline Tamesis in Hanoi on March 5. (Photo: Quang Hoa) |
In your opinion, what are Vietnam's outstanding achievements in ensuring the rights of women and girls?
Vietnam has made significant strides in ensuring the rights of women and girls, thanks to a strong legal framework and proactive policies.
Gender equality is now deeply embedded in important laws, including the Law on Gender Equality; the Law on Domestic Violence Prevention and Control; the Law on Human Trafficking Prevention and Control; the Labor Law; the recently amended Law on Social Insurance and others. This helps protect women’s rights, prevent discrimination and combat gender-based violence.
The revised Social Insurance Law, which will come into effect in July, has important gender-inclusive provisions that will help close the gender gap in access to social insurance in Vietnam. Currently, only 16% of women aged 65 and over receive pensions, compared to 27.3% of men. The new law lowers the age at which seniors without pensions can receive social benefits from 80 to 75, aiming to balance this ratio. It also reduces the insurance contribution period required to qualify for a pension from 20 to 15 years, which is particularly beneficial for women, who typically have shorter insurance contributions than men due to their family care responsibilities.
The National Strategy on Gender Equality (2021-2030) is an important milestone in the journey to empower women in leadership and decision-making. Policies have ensured equal opportunities for women to advance and hold leadership roles. In 2023, the female labor force participation rate is estimated at 67.9%, much higher than the global average, while the female labor force ratio is 48.6%. Support for women-owned small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) has also increased significantly, with at least 2% annual growth in the number of women-led enterprises between 2012 and 2022.
Vietnam is also tackling gender-based violence head-on. By 2024, the country will have more than 6,000 centres providing essential services to victims of domestic and gender-based violence. National campaigns such as the annual Gender Equality Action Month have helped raise awareness and spark conversations to overcome stereotypes and promote inclusivity.
In addition to legal reforms, Vietnam is actively closing the gender gap in education, employment and business. The Politburo’s recent decision to exempt public schools from tuition fees from kindergarten to high school is a landmark move, ensuring that all children, boys and girls, have access to quality education.
Vietnam's achievements are a testament to its commitment to building a society where women and girls can thrive, lead and live free from violence and discrimination.
 |
| Ms. Pauline Tamesis visited and worked with the Domestic Violence Prevention Club of Dien Bien province. (Source: UN) |
So what should Vietnamese women do to participate and lead in the current "digital wave", Madam?
Vietnam’s rapid digital transformation, underpinned by Politburo Resolution 57-NQ/TW, is shaping the country’s future. However, for digital progress to truly make a difference in people’s lives, it must be inclusive, ensuring that women are not left behind.
First, education and skills are essential. In Vietnam, women dominate low-tech sectors such as agriculture, textiles and services. To remain competitive in technology sectors, women must be equipped with skills to adapt to emerging technologies, including AI. The Vietnamese government and UN agencies are actively developing accessible educational materials to ensure that digital technology and skills benefit everyone.
Second, women must have equal opportunities to shape technology and lead innovation. STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) fields drive innovation, digital transformation and AI-based industrialization, but Vietnamese women are still underrepresented in these fields. This is evident right from school, where boys far outnumber girls in pursuing STEM fields. In Vietnam, only 36% of female university graduates are in STEM fields, while 78% of students at Hanoi University of Science and Technology are male.
Girls pursuing STEM education must first overcome a range of systemic, social and cultural barriers. Research shows that both teachers and girls internalize cultural stereotypes about their suitability for pursuing STEM. This limits women’s access to this rapidly growing industry and acts as a barrier to women leading the digital transformation.
Policymakers play a key role in expanding opportunities for women and girls to access appropriate education and developing gender-inclusive digital policies. Vietnam is a leading country in promoting the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA) Resolution on “Digital Transformation Led by and for Women”. This is one of only two resolutions adopted at AIPA-44 (2023), demonstrating Vietnam’s commitment to gender-inclusive digital transformation.
Businesses also have a key role to play in supporting women in the current labor market to shape digital transformation. Businesses can provide training and education to upskill female employees, as well as partner with educational, technical and vocational training institutions to design and implement digital skills curricula. Additionally, businesses can recruit more women, especially in research and development positions.
Women’s adoption of technology will create more creative solutions, have more potential to innovate, meet their own needs and promote gender equality. Inclusive women are key to unlocking the potential of digital transformation in sustaining Vietnam’s strong economic growth.
 |
| Ms. Pauline Tamesis and female ambassadors and diplomats experience traditional Vietnamese culture. |
On International Women's Day, what message do you have for Vietnamese women?
In Vietnam, International Women's Day is often filled with beautiful flowers to celebrate women's strength, resilience and contributions to society.
This year, in particular, we mark the 30th anniversary of the adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. Therefore, International Women’s Day 2025 is important to celebrate achievements, confront remaining and emerging challenges, call for accountability and, above all, recommit to accelerating gender equality and women’s empowerment.
The Beijing Platform for Action was adopted in 1995 at a time of great change: democratic institutions and human rights were being consolidated; social movements were emerging and advancing for rights and justice. The 30th anniversary of the Beijing Platform for Action comes in a year when we are facing some of the most pressing global challenges, including fragile economies, the climate crisis, unprecedented levels of armed conflict and humanitarian crises, the erosion of democracy and backlash against gender equality, and a decline in faith in the power of multilateralism to deliver shared global solutions.
The Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action remains the most revolutionary and progressive global framework to date for advancing women’s rights and gender equality. A focused and coordinated approach around the Beijing Agenda +30 is essential to achieving not only Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5 gender equality, but all 17 SDGs. Together, we must reduce poverty, address insecurity and give women voice, choice and safety – all of which will accelerate the implementation of the 2030 Agenda.
Let's move forward together! Happy International Women's Day!
Thank you!
Source: https://baoquocte.vn/de-phu-nu-tham-gia-va-dan-dau-ky-nguyen-so-306769.html
Comment (0)