Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh (Source: VNA)Hanoi (VNA) – Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister PhamBinh Minh stressed the indispensable role of women in solving conflicts andpromoting sustainable peace when chairing the ASEAN Ministerial Dialogue onStrengthening Women’s Role for Sustainable Peace and Security on September 10.
The online event was held within the framework of the 53rd ASEANForeign Ministers’ Meeting and related meetings.
Minh reaffirmed support for the ASEAN Women,Peace and Security (WPS) Agenda, while recalling the UN Security Councilresolution 1325 on women, peace and security which has served as a foundationfor the international community to boost women’s engagement in all aspects ofpeace, prevent conflicts and protect women’s rights.
He said that despite wide consciousnessabout the importance role of women in the peace process, women have yet to beextensively present in preventing and mediating conflicts.
At the dialogue, participants discussed howto intensify the role and joint actions of ASEAN women so as to strengthensubstantive and sustainable peace, security and prosperity in the region.
They affirmed the importance as well asrole of women in not only political-security but also socio-economic fields.
Ambassador Nguyen Phuong Nga, President ofthe Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations, suggested ASEAN exert moreefforts to mainstream gender issue in the ASEAN Community’s all three pillars,and prioritise gender equality and the implementation of the WPS agenda in thepost-2025 ASEAN Community Vision.
It is also important to includepeace-building strategies in ASEAN in plans to realise the 2030 Agenda onSustainable Development, she said, adding that Vietnam also sent femalepeacekeepers to Africa to help locals in agricultural techniques and sew facemasks to prevent COVID-19.
Countries in the region affirmed tostrengthen activities of the ASEAN Women for Peace Registry (AWPR) and boost theinclusion of the WPS agenda in programmes and policies in all pillars of theASEAN Community.
They also pledged to deepen cooperationbetween ASEAN and partners through frameworks and mechanisms such as ASEAN PlusOne, ASEAN Plus Three, East Asia Summit, and ASEAN Defence Ministers’ MeetingPlus./.
VNA
