VWU strengthens cooperation with Informal Gender Policy Coordination Group

At the meeting, VWU President briefly introduced about the VWU’s functions and tasks, emphasizing its representation role in terms of involving in policy formulation and advocacy as well as providing supporting services to women. In line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030 and national socio-economic development objectives, the VWU would focus o­n such priority areas as policy formulation, social oversight and consultation, supporting women in economic development, enhancing women’s capacity in climate change adaptation and response, domestic violence prevention and control, promoting women’s participation in politics.

In terms of women’s economic empowerment, the VWU would continue proposing policies, designing programs to promote the role of female labor force, focusing o­n providing loans, vocational training, job creation and business start-up support, particularly facilitating rural women to engage in value chains, to develop safe production models and find market outlets for their products... Sustainable employment for women workers would be attached importance. In this connection, vocational training and social protection (e.g. housing) for women, particularly migrant workers are to be paid due attention.

Other top issues in the VWU’s agenda for the coming years include gender-based violence prevention and control; enhancing women’s awareness and capacity in climate change adaptation and response. The VWU plans to organize Women's Innovation Day 2017 under the theme "Women and Climate change". Concerning promotion of women’s participation in politics, efforts would be made to improve capacity of existing women in leadership as well as potential o­nes.

At this meeting, VWU President Nguyen Thi Thu Ha and Ambassadors and Heads of UN agencies and international organizations also discussed issues of common interests towards the future cooperation. The VWU is willing to have a mechanism for information and experience exchange with the Gender Group; to cooperate with the Group in policy formulation and advocacy, especially related to women and gender equality, and to have long-term and strategic cooperation with international partners through memorandums of understanding (MOU). VWU President offered to organize field visits to the Union’s different models for the Group to get better insights into women’s lives, their problems and needs, thus enabling the Group to give suggestions for the VWU to improve its programs and activities. The Gender Group promised to provide technical support for the VWU to promote gender equality, enhance women’s capacity in political participation; connect the VWU and Vietnamese women with international organizations and women from different countries...