Vietnam praised for gender equality achievements

A forum o­n gender equality and sustainable poverty reduction in Hanoi o­n June 2 noted that the country boasts not o­nly a high rate of females in the National Assembly (25.76 percent in the 12 th legislature) but also o­ne of the world highest rates of women in the business circle.

In its report o­n the world’s gender issue over recent years, the World Bank said Vietnamese recorded the fastest progress in eradicating the gender gap over the past 20 years in East Asia.

Participants at the forum, which was jointly held by MoLISA and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA), also reiterated that gender equality, besides being a development goal itself, is a solution to achieve sustainable poverty reduction.

However, the country is still facing many difficulties in implementing gender equality due to the age-old prejudice of valuing men above women and the lack of strong mechanisms and human sources to enforce gender law.