Australian Ambassador Robyn Mudie talks to a successful woman joining the project in Son La province at the symposium. (Photo: VNA) Throughout the day, the GREAT programme team and Governmentof Vietnam representatives discussed evidence and lessons learned from theGREAT Programme that can help inform Vietnam’s National Target Programmes(NTPs) implementation. The NTPs and GREAT both aspire to strongersocio-economic opportunities in Vietnam’s northwest region, particularly forthe ethnic communities that call the region home.
GREAT is Australia’s most significant gender investment in Vietnam, totalling 33.7million AUD (24.1 million USD). The programme works with businesses, NGOs,government and civil society partners to build more inclusive business andmarket systems within the agriculture and tourism sectors in Son La and Lao Caiprovinces. It also works to ensure that local women and ethnic minoritiesactively participate in and benefit from related economic activities andgrowth.
The GREAT Programme began in 2017 and is now entering asecond phase which will see the programme extended to 2027.
Nguyen Thanh Hai, from the Project Management Board in SonLa, and Le Hong Phong from the Project Management Board in Lao Cai shared theexperience of delivering GREAT, particularly the lessons learned in relation toimproving the agriculture and tourism sectors while actively working to promotethe economic empowerment of women.
“Over the past five years of implementing GREAT with theprogramme team, we have stronger evidence of what works and what needs to beimproved specific to our provincial contexts,” Phong said. “We are now activelyworking to increase the participation of women in these sectors as this is goodfor women and their families, good for business and good for the economy. Welook forward to applying the lessons from GREAT to the implementation of theNTPs.”
“This success belongs to all GREAT partners - the ProvincialGovernments of Son La and Lao Cai, and the businesses, civil societyorganisations and communities that GREAT works with,” said the AustralianAmbassador to Vietnam Robyn Mudie.
“Today is an opportunity to look forward with joint ambitionto take this success to scale. Together, we can benefit more businesses throughstronger market connections and, most importantly, empower more women toparticipate in these markets,” she added.
Symposium participants also heard from successful women entrepreneurs from thetwo provinces, who provided advice on how governments and businesses can bettersupport women, including those from ethnic minorities, to not only accesseconomic opportunities, but to thrive in work and business.
On the occasion, GREAT’s business and education partnersprovided an update on the establishment of business services and support forthe agriculture and tourism sectors in the northwest, including improved accessto finance, digital inclusion and the availability of market-driven skills training.
The skills of just some of these women were shared with allin an evening market, cooking show and cultural performances. Symposiumattendees had the opportunity to sample the products, produce and experiencesthat the governments, communities and businesses of Son La and Lao Cai aspireto harness as they pursue inclusive, sustainable economic development./.
VNA
