Vietnam commits to realising gender equality: Minister

Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Dao Ngoc Dung delivers a speech at the 64th session of Commission of the Status of Women (CSW) (Photo: Vietnamplus)

Hanoi (VNA) - Vietnam affirms its commitment to realising gender equality, and hopes for continued support from the United Nations and all member countries to overcome the current difficult period and together steadfastly step forward in the decade of action 2021-2030.

This message was conveyed by the Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Dao Ngoc Dung while delivering a speech at the 65th session of Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) on March 23.

The meeting is being held virtually at the UN headquarters in New York with the participation of high-ranking delegations from 193 UN member nations, and representatives of international and regional organisations.

Taking place from March 15-26, the session features a number of events surrounding the theme “Women’s full and effective participation and decision-making in public life, as well as the elimination of violence, achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls.”

The Vietnamese delegation was led by Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Dao Ngoc Dung. Delegates also included representatives of the Vietnam Mission to the UN, International Organisation Department under the Foreign Ministry, Gender Equality Department and International Cooperation Department under the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs.

As usual in previous years, the general discussion session of the session is always considered to be the most important meeting taking place in the United Nations General Assembly meeting room, with the largest and highest attendance of all members of the United Nations General Assembly. Member states assess and review the implementation of the results of the 4th World Conference and the 23rd Special Session of the United Nations General Assembly on Women, focusing on the topic of priority.

Speaking at the general discussion, Dung expressed his appreciation and high consensus with the themes of the meeting, which he said are also the priorities the Government of Vietnam is promoting. 

The enhancement of women’s participation and policy-making in social life and the elimination of violence against women and girls do not stop at commitments but also have become a vivid reality in Vietnam, he stated, adding that those efforts have brought about many encouraging results, with the proportion of Vietnam’s female lawmakers reaching 27.31% as of September 2020, higher than the world average.

The minister stressed that the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic are also common problems globally, requiring all UN member states to exert further efforts, show greater unity, and increase mutual sharing and support.

Women and girls should be placed at the centre of the recovery effort and guaranteed equal access to care and protection services, he said, affirming how women’s representation, voice and role are even more indispensable now in all national decisions.

Minister Dao Ngoc Dung’s speech also conveyed a message to the world that Vietnam affirms its commitments to prioritizing gender equality and wishes to continue receiving support from the United Nations and member states to overcome the current difficult period, together to step forward in the decade of action 2021-2030.

Within the framework of the session, the Vietnamese delegation has been and continues to actively participate in and contribute to the meeting’s content, documents and common conclusions.

Last year's CSW meeting did not go as planned due to the COVID-19 outbreak, so the organization of this year's meeting reflects the solidarity, consensus and high determination of the United Nations to overcome challenges, continue to move forward in the new normal and work together to achieve the sustainable goals of gender equality, empower women and girls./.