Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam has demonstrated a strong commitment to gender equality in its policies and laws, Ambassador and Head of the European Union (EU) Delegation to Vietnam Julien Guerrier said when attending a policy dialogue on promoting gender equality held on May 6 in Hanoi.
The event was organised by the Ministry of Justice in collaboration with the EU Delegation to Vietnam and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) in Vietnam within the framework of a project on strengthening access to law and justice in Vietnam.
Guerrier said that Vietnam has reinforced its Constitution's provisions on ensuring gender equality in important laws such as the Law on Gender Equality, and the amended Law on Prevention and Control of Domestic Violence, together with national programmes and action plans.
He said that in recent years, Vietnam has made a lot of progress in gender equality, such as the higher proportions of female representatives in the People's Councils and the National Assembly; and the increased rate of female business owners. There have been many advances in education for girls and health care for women.
Chief representative of the UNICEF in Vietnam Rana Flowers said that Vietnam has made efforts to strengthen and support the justice and legal systems to promote gender equality for women and girls, empower women, and address discrimination against women and girls.
The country is improving its legal and policy systems to prevent gender-based violence against women and children, she said, noting that the organisation has seen important developments related to gender equality in Vietnam.
Deputy Minister of Justice Nguyen Khanh Ngoc said that Vietnam's legal system and policies on gender equality have been kept improving, creating a legal basis for the development of women in all fields. However, Vietnam still has much work to do to achieve its gender equity goals.
Vietnam ranked 72nd out of 146 countries in the World Economic Forum (WEF)'s Global Gender Gap Index 2023, up 11 places compared to 2022./.
