A Vietnamese delegation, led by Vice State President Nguyen Thi Doan, has participated in the 21 st Global Summit of Women (GSW), that opened in Istanbul city, Turkey on May 5.

Nearly 1,500 women who are politicians, wives of heads of state, entrepreneurs and government leaders from over 80 countries worldwide attended the summit, themed “Women: Bridging Solutions to the 21 st Century.”

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Vice State President Doan applauded the theme of the summit, saying that as the world faces more challenges such as the scarcity of energy and food, epidemics, natural disasters and climate change, the summit offers an opportunity for participants to discuss and set out measures to promote and improve the role of women in addressing those challenges.

From Vietnam’s experience and based on the summit’s objectives, the Vietnamese representative suggested countries and international organisations have a proper acknowledgement of the role of women, especially in state and business management.

Doan affirmed that Vietnam always believes that the GSW will continue to be a practical forum where women from all over the world may express their aspirations for devotion as well as their ideas and ambitions in building a better and more equal world for the advancement of women.

At the opening ceremony, GSW President Irene Natividad said that the GSW holds an increasingly important position and serves as a bridge for all women throughout the world to share experiences and strengthen mutual understanding, especially those in underdeveloped countries and groups of women easily vulnerable to ongoing crises.

She called on women in the globe to raise high the spirit of solidarity and actively put forth new ideas and initiatives in order to participate more in addressing global issues.

On this occasion, the GSW leader asked countries and governments to create conditions for and empower women so as to help them improve their positions and dedicate more to social development for a fair and civilised world.

On the sidelines of the 21 st GSW, on May 5, Vice State President Doan met with Park Hee Young, the Republic of Korea ’s Minister of Gender Equality and Family, who said that the RoK government is implementing many programmes to protect the interests of the Vietnamese community in the RoK, especially Vietnamese brides./.