Policymakers, experts and scientists from domestic and foreign institutes, organisations and universities joined in a seminar in Hanoi on August 11 to discuss how to promote gender equality in the public sector.

As part of the project “Empowerment of Women in the Public Sector in the Context of International Economic Integration”, the event was jointly organised by the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the United Nations Development Programme in Vietnam.

Participants focused their discussion on Vietnamese women’s involvement in leadership and management in the public sector.

They pointed to the fact that there are more women holding key positions in private firms, while the rate in state-run agencies sees a remarkable decrease.

Attendees also underlined the necessity to outline specific roadmaps and measures to further promote the participation of women in various areas of the public sector, suggesting that a mandatory legal quota on the rate of women in elected bodies should be applied in the coming time to better the situation.

The seminar helped raise public awareness of gender equality as well as aided policymakers and managers in perfecting legal systems and policies in the field, thus accelerating gender equality.-VNA