Vietnam promotes women’s role in building peace: conference

Hanoi (VNA) – International delegates lauded Vietnam’s contributions to affirming women’s roles in building and sustaining peace while attending the International Conference on Women, Peace and Security held by the Foreign Ministry in partnership with the United Nations on December 7-9.

United Nations (UN) Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of UN Women Phumzile Mlombo-Ngcuka spoke highly of Vietnam’s contributions to promoting the adoption of UN Security Council’s Resolution 1889 on women’s role in post conflicts when the country played the role of a non-permanent member of the UNSC during 2008-2009.

Meanwhile, UN Resident Coordinator for Vietnam Kamal Malhotra said that the conference is a wonderful opportunity for countries to enhance their commitments to improve the roles of women.

He also appreciated Vietnam’s strong support for the UN’s agenda on women, peace and security, expressing his belief that the country will keep its leading role in the agenda.

At the closing ceremony, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Hoai Trung said the conference affirmed determination of member states to realise the four pillars set in UN’s agenda on women, peace and security, including ensuring women’s full and equal participation in decision making, integrating gender perspective into women’s participation in settling the roots of conflicts, promoting women and girl children’s rights, and enhancing women’s roles in post-conflict relief and rescue work.

A wide range of initiatives and recommendations were raised at the conference, Trung said, adding Vietnam’s proposal “Hanoi Action Commitment” detailing activities to strengthen women’s participation in peace progress and women’s empowerment in various sectors receive enthusiastic response from 11 nations, namely Estonia, Finland, Mexico, Malaysia, Laos, New Zealand, Norway, the UK, Sweden, Germany and Myanmar.

The document will be introduced to other UN members in the time ahead before being sent to the President of the UN General Assembly and the UNSC, he added.

Successful organisation of the conference is significant since it reiterated Vietnam’s consistent foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, multilateralism, diversification and international integration, and that Vietnam is a trustworthy and responsible member in the international community, he stressed.

The conference, alongside with Vietnam’s contribution in the role as the ASEAN Chair 2020 and a non-permanent member of the UNSC during 2020-2021, continued to affirm the Vietnamese Party and State’s policies to promote gender equality and improve women’s position./.