Illustrative image (Photo: VNA)The event was jointlyorganised by the Enterprise Development Agency under the Vietnamese Ministry of Planningand Investment, the US Department of Commerce, the US Agency for International Development (USAID), the US Department of State, and the US Support for Economic Growth in Asia (US-SEGA) technical assistance programme.
Addressing the event, Deputy Director of the the Enterprise Development Agency Bui Thi Thu Thuy said women-ownedsmall and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) play an important role in creatingjobs and incomes for workers, contributing to improving the position of womenand and increasing investment in health care and education for children, especiallygirls, and promoting economic growth potential.
However, they still have limited capabilityand face many difficulties and barriers related to business connection, science and technology application, financial access, electronic payment, logistics and customs,especially in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, she said.
Promoting gender equality and women's empowerment is animportant policy direction. According to the national strategy on gender equalityin the 2021-2030 period, the rate of female directors or owners ofbusinesses is expected to reach at least 27 percent by 2025 and 30 percent by2030.
Thuy said policies to support femaleentrepreneurs in e-commerce have also been integrated in general policies onsupporting SMEs and e-commerce development.
Women entrepreneurs will be supported 100 percent or part of the cost toparticipate in international e-commerce floors.
Many public-private partnership initiatives as well as those ofthe private sector have been implemented and brought practical and usefulimpacts to the female business community in joining cross-bordere-commerce, Thuy noted.
In October 2020, the APEC forum approved the initiative “Women-Owned Business in Cross-Border E-Commerce Diagnostic Toolkit”, which aimed to providemethods to support APEC economies in building a more favourable environment forwomen in accessing international markets via using e-commerce platforms.
Participants focused their discussions on opportunitiesand challenges for women-owned enterprises engaging in cross-border e-commerce,gaps in policy and actual data; and shared public-private partnership effortsto promote female entrepreneurs' participation in cross-border e-commerce./.
VNA
