UN Resident Coordinator in Vietnam John Hendra has received the “For the Development of Vietnamese Women” insignia for his great contributions to fostering gender equality and the advancement of Vietnamese women.

President of the Vietnam Women’s Union (VWU) Nguyen Thi Thanh Hoa presented the noble reward to the UN Coordinator in Hanoi on May 11.

Speaking at the presentation ceremony, VWU President Hoa highly valued John Henra’s contributions to gender equality and the development of Vietnamese women during his term of office in the country.

She expressed a wish that on his new position as Deputy to the Executive Director of the UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women), he will continue to focus attention on gender equality and support for Vietnam in fulfilling the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

For his part, John Hendra said he was pleased that in his new position, he will still have the chance to cooperate with the VWU in boosting gender equality and activities for the advancement of Vietnamese women.

He expressed his wish to see more outstanding women hold important positions in the Government, National Assembly and people-elected agencies in Vietnam .

He pledged to act more strongly to help Vietnam address issues relating to gender equality and the empowerment of women./.