ICT helps promote gender equality, empowerment of women: workshop

HCM City (VNA) – International experts, scholars and organisations gathered at a workshop held by the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) on November 7 to discuss how to use Information Communications Technology (ICT) to promote gender equality and empowerment of women.

This is a priority event of the AICHR in 2019 towards achieving the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. It is organised with the support of the Japan-ASEAN Integration Fund (JAIF).

Ambassador Nguyen Thai Yen Huong, Vietnamese representative at AICHR, affirmed Vietnam’s commitments to enhancing and protecting ASEAN Human Rights, expressing her hope that the workshop would create opportunities for competent sides to discuss measures to promote gender equality through ICT.

Chair of the AICHR 2019 Amara Pongsapich believed that in the context of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, promotion of gender equality and women empowerment would contribute to protecting human rights in the region.

Meanwhile, Ambassador Nguyen Nguyet Nga, Senior Advisor to the National ASEAN Committee 2020 and representative of Vietnam at the ASEAN Women Peace Registry, said the workshop plays an important role in the efforts to improve gender equality and empowerment of women in the region and the world.

ASEAN has huge potential to apply digital economic achievements in promoting gender equality in the bloc, she added.

Vice Chairwoman of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Council Phan Thi Thang said the city has paid due heed to gender equality work, adding it is manifested through the percentage of female parliamentarians which reached 30 percent during the 2016-2020 tenure, up 3.3 percent from the 2011-2016 period.

However, Thang said the city is facing difficulties in promoting gender equality in many sectors, particularly ICT.

The workshop will run until November 8, with three main discussions and a visit to FPT-Software group./.