On March 11 (local time), at the United Nations (UN) Headquarters in New York, the United States, the opening ceremony of the 68th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68) of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) took place with the theme: "Accelerating the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women and children, through hunger eradication, poverty reduction, institutional strengthening and gender-responsive financing". Vice President Vo Thi Anh Xuan led the Vietnamese delegation to attend the Session.
The Session was attended by the President of Switzerland, the Prime Minister of Latvia, the Vice Presidents of Iran and Guatemala, the Deputy Prime Minister of Eswatini, more than 100 Ministers, and more than 15,000 delegates from UN member countries and non-governmental organizations.
Speaking at the session, Vice President Vo Thi Anh Xuan affirmed that women today are an indispensable force in all processes at all levels of peace, security, social progress and sustainable development. The Vice President said that it is necessary to focus on helping women to develop their full potential to participate in economic, political and social activities and further promote women's participation in political, economic, social and cultural decision-making mechanisms, especially in economics, in order to support more strongly and effectively the goal of hunger eradication, poverty reduction and livelihood security through start-ups and innovation.
The Vice President also highlighted the empowerment of women and girls in science, technology, digital transformation, linked to the prevention and combating of discrimination and violence in cyberspace, enhancing the role of women in building a peaceful, stable, inclusive and sustainable international environment, and addressing non-traditional security challenges, especially climate change response. The head of the Vietnamese delegation suggested that countries and the UN should work together to promote partnerships for sustainable development, support financial resources and provide advice on institutional and policy building for developing countries, and enhance direct cooperation between organizations, business networks, experts and female role models, and increase sharing, dissemination and effective promotion of good practices.
“Throughout the flow of time, women have always been messengers of peace and charity, an indispensable force, playing a decisive role in all processes of peace, security, social progress and sustainable development. Therefore, in the current context of many difficulties and challenges, the great potential of women needs to be strongly promoted and realized with appropriate commitments and resources. In that process, Vietnam is ready to cooperate closely with countries and international organizations to promote gender equality and empower women and girls, thereby contributing to building a world of peace, cooperation and sustainable development,” said Vice President Vo Thi Anh Xuan.
Vice President Vo Thi Anh Xuan highlighted a number of Vietnam's achievements in gender equality, including the proportion of female National Assembly deputies at 30.3%, the proportion of provinces with female key leaders at 82.4%, the proportion of women of working age participating in the labor market at 70%, and nearly 30% of enterprises with female leaders.
The Vice President also informed international friends that last January, Vietnam issued the National Action Program on Women, Peace and Security, making a practical contribution to international efforts to promote this issue in the region and the world. The Vice President affirmed that Vietnam is always ready to cooperate closely with countries and partners for gender equality and empowerment of women and girls, leaving no one behind.
In subsequent speeches, many countries responded to the proposals of the Head of the Vietnamese Delegation on focusing efforts on supporting women in hunger eradication, poverty reduction, increasing participation in decision-making processes, accessing science and technology, and participating in peace building.
The CSW68 session is of great significance in the context of preparing to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action on empowering women, promoting the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals, especially Goal 5 on achieving gender equality by 2030.
Vietnam attaches special importance to ensuring gender equality and the advancement of women and has achieved many achievements in this field. Vietnam is considered one of the countries that has eliminated the gender gap fastest in the past 20 years, is one of the countries that has completed the Millennium Development Goal 3 (MDG 3) on gender equality early and is making efforts to implement the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including Goals 5 and 10 on eliminating inequality, promoting gender equality and empowering women and girls.
Vice President Vo Thi Anh Xuan affirmed that Vietnam is always ready to cooperate closely with countries and partners for gender equality and empowerment of women and girls, leaving no one behind.
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