An international conference, themed “Female parliamentarians with national strategy on gender equality” kicked off on July 27 in the southern province of Khanh Hoa.

Jointly held by the National Assembly Committee for Social Affairs, the Vietnam Female Parliamentarians Group and the United Nations Development Programme in Vietnam, the two-day conference drew more than 50 female delegates from 10 countries, including Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Canada, the Republic of Korea, China, Sweden, Thailand and Vietnam.

Addressing the opening ceremony, National Assembly Vice Chairwoman Tong Thi Phong emphasised the importance of the gender equality strategy in each country and the real experience on female parliamentarians’ role in promoting gender equality.

Phong said that it is necessary to strengthen mutual understanding and share experience among countries.

The event focused on discussing the progress and challenges of gender integration into parliamentary activities and strategies on gender equality, including the plans for action and orientation.

At the conference, the participants shared opinions on many global issues, stressing that many legislative bodies are facing difficulties in promoting gender equality.

Vietnamese delegates shared the country’s experience with international friends when Vietnam has a high number of NA female deputies, the quality of NA female deputies has been improved and the number of young and ethnic minority delegates accounts for a remarkable proportion.-VNA