Society

UNFPA, Norwegian Government support Vietnam in ending gender biased sex selection

The Norwegian Government and the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) have reaffirmed their strong commitment to cooperating with and supporting Vietnam at the national and sub-national levels in ending gender biased sex selection (GBSS), for a brighter future for the next generation of Vietnamese.
UNFPA, Norwegian Government support Vietnam in ending gender biased sex selection ảnh 1Illustrative image (Photo: hanoimoi.com.vn)
Hanoi (VNA) - The Norwegian Government and theUN Population Fund (UNFPA) have reaffirmed their strong commitment to cooperatingwith and supporting Vietnam at the national and sub-national levels in ending genderbiased sex selection (GBSS), for a brighter future for the next generation of Vietnamese.

The joint affirmation was made by Norwegian Ambassadorto Vietnam Grete Lochen and UNFPA Representative in Vietnam Naomi Kitahara at aworking session on April 15 to discuss gender equality in Vietnam, focusing on gender-basedviolence and GBSS.

Addressing the session, the ambassador said that the toppriority of the Norwegian Government is to strengthen and observe global standardson the rights of girls and women, including changing the preference for sons.

The Norwegian Government is working with many partnersand relevant parties, including the UNFPA, to deal with the problem on global,regional, and national scales, she said.

Lochen expressed delight at Vietnam’s pioneering role in dealingwith GBSS, affirming that close cooperation and a comprehensive approach are amongthe major measures for the successful resolution of the problem.

For her part, Kitahara acknowledged Vietnam’s progressin promoting gender equality. She also said that this progress should be furthersped up within the completion of the sustainable development goals (SDGs).

She pledged to assist Vietnam and local social organisationsto hasten changes towards becoming a modern, progressive country where all womenand girls have access to the same opportunities as men and boys.

The working session was a chance for both sides to reviewthe three-year “Addressing Gender Biased Sex Selection and Related Harmful Practicesin Vietnam” project, which was launched in April 2020.

The project is being jointly funded by the UNFPA and theNorwegian Government, and implemented by the Vietnamese Ministry of Labour, Invalids and SocialAffairs, the General Office for Population and Family Planning under the Ministryof Health, the Vietnam Farmers’ Union, and the Centre for Studies and Applied Sciencesin Gender, Family, Women and Adolescents.

It aims to support the Government's ongoing efforts to fullyimplement approved legal and policy frameworks to end GBSS, and includes campaignsconducted through innovative approaches to change social norms and practices thatreinforce the preference for sons and the low value of girls, strengthening capacitiesin the media, implementing the fatherhood programme, and streamlining the country’scoordination mechanisms for GBSS.

Vietnam’s gender imbalance has rapidly increased inrecent times and stood at 111.5 boys per 100 girls in 2019, according to the 2019 Population and Housing Census./.
VNA
#Norwegian Government #UN Population Fund (UNFPA) #gender biased sex selection (GBSS) #UNFPA Representative in Vietnam Naomi Kitahara #gender-based violence #Vietnam #Vietnam news #Vietnam News Agency
Follow VietnamPlus

Related News

Gender equality in the workplace needed for business breakthroughs: Expert

Gender equality in the workplace needed for business breakthroughs: Expert

Gender equality at the workplace needs to be recognised as one of the drivers of long-term growth and breakthroughs for businesses, especially as Vietnam has a high proportion of women in the labour market, according to Nguyen Quang Vinh, General Secretary of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI).
Australia, World Bank support Vietnam’s data survey on gender

Australia, World Bank support Vietnam’s data survey on gender

The World Bank (WB) has signed an agreement with the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) to provide a non-refundable aid worth 740,000 AUD (563,000 USD) through the Australia-World Bank Group Strategic Partnership’s second phase to help Vietnam conduct a nationwide survey serving its gender policy making.
Role of female NA deputies discussed

Role of female NA deputies discussed

To raise the rate of female deputies to the National Assembly (NA) and all-level People’s Councils requires strong, synchronous, and effective solutions as well as political resolve and efforts from female candidates, a meeting in central Da Nang city on April 12 heard.

See more

Doan Duc Hao, Director of the Department of Youth Affairs and Gender Equality under the Ministry of Home Affairs, speaks at a working session with a 16-member delegation of young Korean civil servants in Hanoi on September 14, 2026. (Photo: VNA)

Vietnam, RoK promote cooperation, youth’s role

Le Thi Viet Lam, Deputy Director of the Department of International Cooperation under the Ministry of Science and Technology, said Vietnam wishes to continue building an ecosystem that connects the State, research institutes, universities and businesses, enabling them to share resources and create value. This is also an area in which Vietnam is interested in learning from Korean experience.

To operate Metro Line No. 1 (Ben Thanh–Suoi Tien), Ho Chi Minh City Urban Railway Company No. 1 (HURC1) currently employs 700 people to keep nearly 200 train trips running each day. (Photo: nhandan.vn)

Ho Chi Minh City addresses manpower shortage for urban railway development

Under the human resources training scheme serving the development of the urban railway network approved by the municipal People’s Committee, the city will need around 70,000 workers by 2030 to support investment in and development of its metro system, including project management personnel, operations and maintenance staff, engineers, technical workers, consultants and designers.

VBUK Vice Chairman Trinh Ngoc Cuong speaks at the ceremony to launch a publication marking VBUK's 20th anniversary,(Photo: VNA)

Resolution No.23: Vietnamese community in UK looks toward homeland

Politburo Resolution No. 23 calls for stronger links among overseas Vietnamese through sustainable networks connecting experts, intellectuals, entrepreneurs and young people. Each entrepreneur and professional can thus become a bridge, ensuring that despite being half a world away, the Vietnamese community remains closely connected to the homeland.

NA President Tran Thanh Man presents the Labour Hero title to BRG Group Chairwoman and Standing Vice Chairwoman of SeABank’s Board of Directors Nguyen Thi Nga (Photo: VNA)

NA President attends ceremony honouring BRG Group, SeABank

As Vietnam enters a new development phase, with a target of double-digit growth and strategic milestones in 2030 and 2045, National Assembly President Tran Thanh Man called on BRG Group and SeABank to build on their established foundations and effectively implement major Party, National Assembly and Government policies on socio-economic development.

Martyrs’ remains are found in Quang Tri province. (Photo: VNA)

Search area expanded to recover more martyrs’ remains in Quang Tri

The continued recovery of martyrs’ remains provides valuable information and further evidence of those who fought and sacrificed their lives for national independence and freedom. It also encourages search teams to persist in locating fallen soldiers still lying on former battlefields, contributing to the effective implementation of the 500-day campaign and reflecting Vietnam’s long-standing tradition of gratitude.

General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee and President To Lam (first, left) and French President Emmanuel Macron (first, right) witness the exchange of bilateral cooperation documents and agreements on September 10, 2026 during the former's official visit to France. (Illustrative photo: VNA)

Intellectual cooperation deepens Vietnam–France relations: expert

Dr Frederic Roustan highlighted the importance of scientific and intellectual cooperation, saying that despite ups and downs in bilateral diplomatic, political and economic relations over the decades, connections between French and Vietnamese scientists and intellectuals have been maintained, contributing to exchanges between the two countries.

Illustrative Image (Photo: VNA)

Ministry proposes seven-day 2027 Lunar New Year holiday

Under the Ministry of Home Affairs' proposal, civil servants and public employees in Vietnam would receive five statutory days off, including two days before and three days after the Lunar New Year. As two of those days fall on the weekend, they would receive two additional compensatory days off, bringing the total holiday to seven consecutive days.

The September 11 launch of the national programme for 2026–2030 on strengthening child protection and preventing and minimising illegal child labour (Photo: VNA)

National programme aims to strengthen child protection, reduce illegal child labour

The programme aims to ensure all children live in safe and healthy environments, minimise child abuse nationwide, and create opportunities for children suffering violence, sexual abuse or illegal child labour, those at risk of violence, exploitation or neglect, as well as the ones with other special circumstances, to integrate into society and develop comprehensively.

Harnessing overseas Vietnamese resources in new era

Harnessing overseas Vietnamese resources in new era

After more than two decades of implementing Politburo Resolution No. 36-NQ/TW, dated March 26, 2004, on overseas Vietnamese affairs, the Politburo adopted Resolution No. 23-NQ/TW on the same matter on August 2, 2026. The resolution ushers in a new phase with a more comprehensive approach, focusing on creating mechanisms to unlock and make effective use of the vast potential of the Vietnamese community abroad.

Nguyen Huy Ngoc, Vice Chairman of the Phu Tho provincial People’s Committee, former Director of the provincial Department of Health and the provincial General Hospital (Photo: the Ministry of Public Security)

Phu Tho province's official prosecuted for bribery

According to the Ministry of Public Security, its Police Investigation Agency for Corruption, Economic and Smuggling Crimes (C03) is investigating a case involving violations of accounting regulations causing serious consequences, smuggling and receiving bribes at Viet My Medical Investment JSC and related agencies and localities.