Deputy Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Nguyen Thi Ha speaks at the workshop in Hai Phong city on May 6 (Photo: VNA)Hanoi (VNA) – The rate of women parliamentarians inVietnam has reached 27.1 percent, higher than regional and global averages,which is an achievement in the realisation of the Beijing Declaration andPlatform for Action (BDPA).
This outcome was highlighted at a workshop heldin northern Hai Phong city on May 6 to review the 25-year implementation of theBDPA – one of the world’s most comprehensive documents on gender equality andwomen empowerment.
The world will mark 25 years of the BDPA andfive years of the Sustainable Development Goals in 2020, which will also be thefinal year of Vietnam’s first national strategy for gender equality. Vietnamwill prepare for a new strategy on the issue for the 2021-2030 period.
According to UN Women, Vietnam has stepped upgender mainstreaming in law making and enforcement, launched concreteprogrammes and plans on gender equality, and moved to prevent and fightgender-based violence. It has also increased activities to communicate genderequality to people and empower women in society.
These efforts have helped improve women’s roleand standing. Aside from the high percentage of women parliamentarians, therate of female business owners in Vietnam has reached 31.3 percent.
However, participants pointed out that thecountry still faces difficulties and challenges in gender equality promotion.Gender inequality still exists in many social aspects, violence and sexualabuse against women and girls remain complex, while many of such cases haven’tbeen handled promptly.
Elisa Fernandez, UN Women Head of Office inVietnam, said her organisation believes the assessment of the BDPAimplementation will bring a great chance for Vietnam.
This assessment process should involve women andmen of all ages and from different backgrounds to ensure that the voices anddemand of all genders are heard and all forms of discrimination are eliminated,she added.-VNA
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