HA NOI – Coordinated by UNFPA and UN Women, the United Nations in Viet Nam, the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MOLISA), and the National Committee for the Advancement of Women (NCFAW) organized today a policy dialogue on gender equality to commemorate the International Women’s Day. The event brought together 200 participants, including policy makers and national experts from several ministries, non-governmental organizations, development partners and UN agencies.
Speaking at the event, Pham Thi Hai Chuyen, Minister of MOLISA and Chair of the NCFAW, affirmed the government's commitment to gender equality and women's empowerment through the implementation of related policies and programmes. Despite the fact that rural women contribute much to agricultural production and domestic food processing, people's awareness of women's roles and gender equality is still limited. Moreover, in terms of equal access to education, job opportunities, information and good living standards, women and girls in rural, ethnic, mountainous and remote areas are particularly disadvantaged compared to men and urban women.
"Ensuring equal access to basic services for rural women is one of the critical strategies to eradicate poverty and pave the way towards sustainable development," said the minister.
Pratibha Mehta, UN Resident Coordinator in Viet Nam, highlighted the UN’s continued support to gender equality and women’s empowerment. She also stressed the need for enforcement of existing laws and policies. “Viet Nam has an impressive policy and legal framework in place on issues of gender equality and women's empowerment. It is now time for action and enforcement of these policies, laws and strategies, particularly at the sub-national level,” Mehta said.
During the dialogue, Nguyen Thi Lan Huong, Director of MOLISA’s Institute for Labour, Science and Social Affairs, shared information on the challenges faced by rural women and proposed solutions to help them overcome. The Viet Nam Women’s Union, meanwhile, presented key activities and interventions at the grassroot level that have been successful in supporting rural women, and renewed their support for ensuring rural women’s rights and access to economic opportunities.
Key findings from a recent research on masculinities and gender based violence, with technical support from UNFPA and UN Women, were also presented at the dialogue. The research shows that dominant male attitudes and behaviors continue to underpin and reinforce gender inequality. In addition, it found that more needs to be done to engage men and boys in preventing violence and promoting a gender equitable society.
On the International Women’s Day, MOLISA, NCFAW and the UN commit to working together to support the effective implementation of the new National Strategy for Gender Equality (2011-2020) and the National Programme on Gender Equality (2011-2015). They remain dedicated to ensuring that rural women and girls are prioritized in policies and programmes in the coming years.
For more information, please contact:
Nguyen Thi Hong Thanh, tel. +84 4 3822 4383, ext. 117, tnguyen@unfpa.org
