Sustainable economic development associated with promoting gender equality and responding to climate change

SNV has been working in Vietnam since 1995. Over the last 20 years, SNV has reached 44 provinces with the goal of poverty reduction and sustainable development through gender equality promotion, women’s potential economic enhancement and climate change response. Most of SNV projects have been implemented in partnership with VWU at different levels as main partner, which have resulted not o­nly in the local women’s potential enhancement but also in the VWU staff’s capacity, knowledge, skills and experience improvement in community supporting activities.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, VWU President Nguyen Thi Thu Ha highlights that the MOU signing marks a new milestone for the good previous relationship between the two organizations.

The President informs that in the current context of the Vietnamese government’s determination for a tectonic, innovative, serving and acting government, VWU defines clearly its responsibilities in women’s economic empowerment, contributing to the country’s development. Therefore, in the coming time, VWU will focus o­n supporting women to start up their business and to involve in value chains of production, to equip them with better knowledge and skills to deal with social issues related to women such as climate change response, clean water and environmental sanitation, thereby empowering women and accelerating their self-reliance for a better status and life.

Mr. Miguel Mendez appreciates the close and effective cooperation between SNV and VWU through various programs, such as those o­n clean cook stoves, rural clean water and environmental sanitation. In that process, the VWU has always shown its responsibility and enthusiasm. He affirms that all SNV programs are targeting to contribute to the Vietnamese Government’s efforts in solving issues born from poverty reduction in specific areas, such as agricultural economy, rural clean water, climate change and gender inequality. Gender equality plays an important role in human resource and economic development and women's right promotion. Mr. Mendez also informs that SNV is currently implementing different programs and projects, including the program o­n enhancing opportunities for women enterprises and strengthening women’s role in agricultural production and business (FLOW/EOWE) funded by the Dutch Government. The FLOW program supports women-owned businesses or cooperatives, or the o­nes with high percentage of female workers, mostly in the agricultural sector.

SNV strongly commits to promoting women’s economic empowerment, implementing gender-integrated programs and joining hands with VWU to strive for the goal of gender equality.

At the end of the ceremony, VWU President Nguyen Thi Thu Ha and SNV Country Director in Vietnam Miguel Mendez sign a Memorandum of Understanding for the period 2016 - 2020.

- The MOU aimsatsettingup a cooperation framework between the VWU and the SNV to contribute to reducing poverty, acceleratingeconomic and social development in Vietnam in a sustainable way, promoting gender equality and responding effectively to climate change.

- Specific projects and programs in the MOU:

+ Project "Enhancing opportunities for women enterprises/Enhancing the role of women in agricultural production and business" (FLOW/EOWE)

+ Project "Market acceleration of advanced clean cookstoves in the Greater Mekong sub-region" (ACCS)

+ Program "Women’s economic empowerment through agricultural value chains"

+ Program "Promoting gender roles in responding to climate change"