Vietnam Women's Union

On 30 July, Ms. Le Thi Thuy, President of the Vietnam Women's Union (VWU), received and held talks with Mr. Matt Jackson, UNFPA Representative in Viet Nam, to discuss strategic directions for further strengthening the partnership between the two organizations in the new development phase.

Welcoming the UNFPA delegation, President Le Thi Thuy expressed her sincere appreciation for UNFPA's long-standing partnership with the VWU since 1989. She highlighted the organizations' successful cooperation in promoting gender equality, sexual and reproductive health, family planning, preventing violence against women and adolescent girls, strengthening the capacity of VWU staff, supporting advocacy and communication activities, and facilitating the participation of VWU representatives in international forums.

VWU President Le Thi Thuy speaks at the meeting

Ms. Le Thi Thuy introduced the priorities of the VWU following its 14th National Congress (2026–2031) and proposed six areas for future cooperation, including capacity-building and gender equality, addressing emerging population issues (population ageing, sustaining replacement-level fertility, and tackling sex ratio imbalance at birth), strengthening services for survivors of gender-based violence, expanding safe spaces for women and children, advancing digital transformation and online safety, and enhancing technical cooperation and resource mobilization.

UNFPA Representative in Viet Nam Matt Jackson addresses the meeting.

Congratulating Ms. Le Thi Thuy on her election as VWU President for the 2026–2031 term, Matt Jackson reaffirmed UNFPA's commitment to expanding collaboration. He proposed further cooperation in engaging men and boys through responsible fatherhood initiatives, distributing dignity kits during emergencies, scaling up the One-Stop Service Centre (Anh Duong House), supporting HPV vaccination efforts, tackling technology-facilitated gender-based violence, and providing evidence-based policy support on demographic challenges.

President Le Thi Thuy noted that the VWU has actively engaged men in its activities, including approximately 62,000 honorary male members, reflecting the VWU's commitment to promoting shared responsibility for gender equality.

A view of the meeting

The two sides agreed that these priorities align closely with their shared objectives and discussed developing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to provide a framework for future cooperation. The meeting marked an important step toward a stronger, more strategic partnership between the VWU and UNFPA in support of gender equality and sustainable development in Viet Nam.