Vietnam has realized many goals on gender equality.

On March 25 in Hanoi, the Central Committee of the Vietnam Women's Union coordinated with the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) Vietnam to organize the Intergenerational Media Forum "Women and Gender Equality in the New Era". The event aimed to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and 10 years of implementing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Attending the Forum were Ms. Truong My Hoa, former Vice President, Head of the Vietnamese Delegation to the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing in 1995; Ms. Nguyen Thi Tuyen, President of the Vietnam Women's Union; and many leaders of ministries, departments, branches and international organizations in Vietnam.

Delegates share at the Intergenerational Communication Forum "Women and Gender Equality in the New Era". (Photo: UN Women Vietnam)

The Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action was adopted at the Fourth World Conference on Women held in Beijing in 1995 with the participation of 189 countries to commit to realizing the concerns and rights of women worldwide by the end of the 20th century.

By adopting 12 key areas for improvement to achieve equality, from eradicating poverty and promoting education to combating violence and improving women's rights, the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action not only sets clear goals, but also provides a concrete action plan to achieve gender equality and improve women's rights around the world.

Chairwoman of the Vietnam Women's Union Nguyen Thi Tuyen affirmed: Over the past 30 years, Vietnam has been determined to realize the goals of the Beijing Platform for Action. All 12 areas in the Platform have been seriously implemented by Vietnam and have achieved positive results, notably the contents of "Women and poverty", "Women and health", "Women and economy", "Women and environment", "girls".

Currently, the proportion of female deputies in the National Assembly is always high in the Asia-Pacific region (30.26%). Vietnamese women account for 46.8% of the country's workforce; female workers participating in the workforce is 62.4%; women who own businesses account for 28.2%; account for 14.4% of Vietnam's peacekeeping force, higher than the United Nations average of 10.2% and currently the whole country is strongly implementing the dissemination of digital knowledge, including for women and girls.

President of the Vietnam Women's Union Nguyen Thi Tuyen speaks at the Forum. (Photo: UN Women Vietnam)

Ms. Caroline Nyamayemombe - Chief Representative of UN Women Vietnam said: Vietnam is in a new era - the rise of the nation. This forum inspires action to achieve gender equality in this new era.

This intergenerational forum is a reminder that we need to bring together generations of Vietnamese people – both men and women – as equal partners in breaking down barriers and shaping a future free of discrimination and violence. Most importantly, we need to bring young people, especially young women, into leadership positions today.

Ms. Caroline Nyamayemombe - UN Women Vietnam Representative speaking at the Forum. (Photo: UN Women)

Women’s leadership is essential for peace and sustainable development, said Pauline Tamesis, UN Resident Coordinator in Viet Nam. Viet Nam has one of the highest proportions of women in parliament in the Asia-Pacific region (30.26%). However, women’s representation has yet to reach the target of 35% and remains low in party leadership and public administration.

In addition, investing more in women and girls to close the gender gap in digital skills is crucial not only to promote gender equality and transform occupational segregation, but also to reap the benefits of the growing digital economy.

With digital transformation identified as a new growth driver in Resolution No. 57-NQ/TW, Vietnam must invest in digital skills training for women and girls, especially in rural areas...

At the forum, delegates discussed the role of women in promoting gender equality through the ages; gender equality in the new era of the country; the role of young people in promoting gender equality... Many practical and valuable proposals and recommendations were made to further promote the role, potential, strengths, spirit of mastery, aspiration to rise up and build Vietnamese women in the new era.

Within the framework of the event, delegates also visited the exhibition space with the theme "Women and gender equality in the new era" with images and media publications about some achievements and issues arising in implementing gender equality in Vietnam today.

Vietnam's most important achievement is its gender-equal legal system.

After 30 years of implementing the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, Vietnam's most important achievement is the development of a legal system and policies related to gender equality, such as the Law on Gender Equality, the Law on Marriage and Family, etc. Along with that, it is mandatory to integrate gender into the development of legal documents. These include specific provisions such as: Large assets in the family must have the names of both husband and wife. This provision is a great result in the development of laws, protecting the legitimate and legal rights of women and children. Thereby contributing to a comprehensive change in the mentality and thinking of women as only dependent on their husbands and having no rights. The legal corridor empowers women more comprehensively. The integration of gender into the development of legal documents is clearly defined.

Ms. Truong My Hoa, former Vice President, Head of the Vietnamese Delegation attending the 4th World Conference on Women in Beijing in 1995

The international community highly appreciates Vietnam's achievements in implementing gender equality.

There is a strong commitment from the Party and State leaders and efforts from all levels and sectors in ensuring the rights of women and children. At the same time, Vietnam has built a complete legal system to implement this Platform; thereby ensuring women's participation in politics and leadership positions. In particular, international friends admire Vietnamese women for their creativity, efficiency in work, good at public affairs and good at housework. At the same time, they highly appreciate Vietnam's participation in international commitments, including the goals of gender equality and sustainable development.

Currently, in the context of the development of information technology and artificial intelligence, it is necessary to raise awareness and qualifications of women to make the most of the development of science and technology, while limiting negative impacts on the family foundation. At the same time, it is necessary to eliminate the gap and technological barriers between the plains and mountainous areas, and areas with large ethnic minorities, so as not to widen the gap in technology. In particular, it is necessary to strengthen women's resistance to the negative impacts of science and technology, not to let women fall behind, increasing gender inequality in the face of the rapid development of science and technology.

Ms. Nguyen Phuong Nga, former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, former President of the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organizations

Source: https://thoidai.com.vn/viet-nam-da-hien-thuc-hoa-nhieu-muc-tieu-ve-binh-dang-gioi-211730.html