Vietnam highlights gender equality at IPU meeting

The Vietnamese delegation at the meeting (Photo: VNA)

Dhaka (VNA) – Chairman of the Vietnamese National Assembly’s Committee for External Relations Nguyen Van Giau highlighted the significance of gender equality and women’s rights at the 275th meeting of the Executive Committee of the 136th Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Assembly in Bangladesh’s capital of Dhaka on March 30-31.

Giau said over the past year, IPU has actively promoted gender equality and empowerment of women, which have helped ensure sustainable and comprehensive development in each country and the whole world as well.

He held that women have played an increasingly important role in the political, economic and social life as well as in the maintenance of peace and security, process of peace building and reconstruction, and settlement of global challenges.

Vietnam applauded the United Arab Emirates (UAE)’s hosting of the Global Summit of Women Speakers of Parliament which issued a statement affirming their commitments and actions to improving gender equality for a world of stability, prosperity and development, Giau stated.

The legislator said the IPU hopes for countries’ engagement in the global development agenda in line with the spirit of the 132th IPU Assembly’s Hanoi statement of “Turning worlds to actions”.

Giau also said Vietnam will host an IPU conference for the Asia-Pacific region in Ho Chi Minh City from May 11-13 to discuss legislators’ actions to realise the sustainable development goals amidst climate changes, adding that Vietnam will work closely with the IPU Secretariat to successfully organise the event.

During the meeting, participants approved the agenda and report of the 274th meeting in Geneva in October 2016 and discussed reports on the performance of the IPU President and the annual report of the IPU Secretary General.

They also touched upon the agenda of the 136th IPU Assembly, as well as a number of issues related to personnel, finance and strategy of the IPU in the 2017-2021 period, along with matters regarding the organisation of the 137th IPU Assembly in Russia’s Saint Petersburg on October 14-18, and amendments to the IPU Charter and regulations.

At the same time, the participants also focused on three major issues: the formation of a high technology centre connected with parliaments across the world, the commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the Global Democracy Statement, and the increase of youth’s engagement in the IPU.-VNA

VNA