At the event (Photo: VNA)Thua Thien-Hue (VNA) – How to increase women’spresence in transportation, a sector that is still dominated by men, was thefocus of the APEC Women in Transportation (WiT) Forum in Hue city, the centralprovince of Thua Thien-Hue, on September 27.
The forum, themed “Gauging Progress and Moving Forward”,formed part of the ongoing 2017 APEC Women and the Economy Forum in Hue.
In his opening remarks, Vietnamese Deputy Minister of TransportNguyen Ngoc Dong said in the field of transportation, ministers have paid theirspecial attention and given priorities to the WiT initiative for theadvancement of women in transportation.
In Vietnam’s transportation sector, only about 25 percent ofworkforce is women, and the percentage of female leaders is still modest, henoted, adding that over the past years, the country has been making efforts toimplement the action plan for the advancement of women in order to foster their involvement in leadership and ensure gender equality in recruitment andeducation regarding women in this sector.
He highly valued the theme of the 2017 WiT Forum andconsidered it an opportunity for APEC economies to update and evaluate the workdone over the past two years since the second WiT Forum took place in Cebu, thePhilippines. It was also a chance for them to share experience and goodinitiatives and discuss solutions for the WiT initiative, developed for APECwomen in transportation.
For her part, US Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City MaryTarnowka said transportation supplies 10 to 20 percent of jobs in APECeconomies, but the presence of women working in this sector is below 20percent.
APEC recognises the importance of women’s economicempowerment, she added, citing the Organisation for Economic Cooperation andDevelopment as saying that if the global gap in workforce participation betweenmen and women is closed, GDP worldwide will grow by nearly 12 percent by 2030.
At the forum, participants listened to the introduction ofthe APEC WiT Data Framework and Best Practices Initiative, along with voicesfrom the sector’s insiders. They also examined conditions for women intransportation by discussing opportunities, roadblocks and relevant data.
The delegates also shared their own insights, experiencesand priorities in a way that can inform future action.
Notably, some representatives of Vietnamese women presentedthe country’s particular efforts to link rural women to road projects and othertransport jobs.
These efforts include a project to increase ethnic minoritywomen’s participation in rural road maintenance in Lao Cai province, and apilot project to empower women to manage road maintenance in Lao Cai, QuangBinh and Thanh Hoa provinces. Another notable effort is producing helmetsspecifically for Thai women who traditionally must put their hair in a bun onthe top of their heads to show that they are married.
The 2017 WiT Forum was hosted by the US Department ofTransportation in coordination with the Ministry of Transport of Vietnam.
Established in 1989, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) with 21 economies isthe Asia Pacific’s premier economic forum. The primary goal is to supportsustainable economic growth and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region.
Vietnam joinedAPEC in 1998 and is hosting APEC events in 2017 under the theme “Creating NewDynamism, Fostering a Shared Future”. -VNA
The forum, themed “Gauging Progress and Moving Forward”,formed part of the ongoing 2017 APEC Women and the Economy Forum in Hue.
In his opening remarks, Vietnamese Deputy Minister of TransportNguyen Ngoc Dong said in the field of transportation, ministers have paid theirspecial attention and given priorities to the WiT initiative for theadvancement of women in transportation.
In Vietnam’s transportation sector, only about 25 percent ofworkforce is women, and the percentage of female leaders is still modest, henoted, adding that over the past years, the country has been making efforts toimplement the action plan for the advancement of women in order to foster their involvement in leadership and ensure gender equality in recruitment andeducation regarding women in this sector.
He highly valued the theme of the 2017 WiT Forum andconsidered it an opportunity for APEC economies to update and evaluate the workdone over the past two years since the second WiT Forum took place in Cebu, thePhilippines. It was also a chance for them to share experience and goodinitiatives and discuss solutions for the WiT initiative, developed for APECwomen in transportation.
For her part, US Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City MaryTarnowka said transportation supplies 10 to 20 percent of jobs in APECeconomies, but the presence of women working in this sector is below 20percent.
APEC recognises the importance of women’s economicempowerment, she added, citing the Organisation for Economic Cooperation andDevelopment as saying that if the global gap in workforce participation betweenmen and women is closed, GDP worldwide will grow by nearly 12 percent by 2030.
At the forum, participants listened to the introduction ofthe APEC WiT Data Framework and Best Practices Initiative, along with voicesfrom the sector’s insiders. They also examined conditions for women intransportation by discussing opportunities, roadblocks and relevant data.
The delegates also shared their own insights, experiencesand priorities in a way that can inform future action.
Notably, some representatives of Vietnamese women presentedthe country’s particular efforts to link rural women to road projects and othertransport jobs.
These efforts include a project to increase ethnic minoritywomen’s participation in rural road maintenance in Lao Cai province, and apilot project to empower women to manage road maintenance in Lao Cai, QuangBinh and Thanh Hoa provinces. Another notable effort is producing helmetsspecifically for Thai women who traditionally must put their hair in a bun onthe top of their heads to show that they are married.
The 2017 WiT Forum was hosted by the US Department ofTransportation in coordination with the Ministry of Transport of Vietnam.
Established in 1989, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) with 21 economies isthe Asia Pacific’s premier economic forum. The primary goal is to supportsustainable economic growth and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region.
Vietnam joinedAPEC in 1998 and is hosting APEC events in 2017 under the theme “Creating NewDynamism, Fostering a Shared Future”. -VNA
VNA
