Workshop spotlights gender issue in development plans for ethnic areas

Da Nang (VNA) – A workshop on integrating gender issue in socio-economic development plans for ethnic minority, mountainous, and disadvantaged areas took place in the central city of Da Nang on May 23.

The event was co-organised by the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) and Vietnam’s Committee for Ethnic Minority Affairs with support from the Irish Aid. It gathered 30 delegates who represented ethnic minority affairs departments from eight cities and provinces nationwide.

Speaking at the workshop, Nguyen Thi Tu, head of the committee’s Department of Ethnic Minorities, said gender discrimination and inequality cause negative impacts on ethnic women and girls, affecting their access to, participation in and benefit from policies on socio-economic growth in their areas, and preventing them from capitalising on their potential.

As such, gender equality strategy must be an inseparable part of the building of socio-economic development plans for ethnic minority areas.

Vu Phuong Ly, an expert from the UN Women, said a specific mechanism is needed to monitor the investment of resources in boosting gender equality in these areas.

Financial sources to tackle gender issues in general remain limited, becoming an obstacle for the implementation of empowerment projects targeting ethnic women and girls, she noted.

Recommendations suggested at the two-day event will be submitted to the board in charge of designing a project on socio-economic development in ethnic minority, mountainous, and disadvantaged areas for 2021 – 2025.-VNA