In her opening remarks, Ha Thi Nga, Member of the Party Central Committee, President of the Vietnam Women’s Union said, that “Women are disproportionately affected in times of crisis. However, women are also active agents of change. Therefore, it is necessary to create conditions for women to promote their strengths, contribute to the country's development and sustainable development in general.”
The forum aimed to contribute to the national five‐year review of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) implementation and commemorate the 2021 International Women’s Day’s global theme “Women in leadership: Achieving an equal future in a COVID‐19 world” that calls for women’s rights to decision‐making in all areas of life, equal pay, equal sharing of unpaid care and domestic work, an end to all forms of violence against women and girls, and health‐care services that respond to their needs.
The forum today brought key national stakeholders working on sustainable development and gender equality and enabled a discussion on current national initiatives and good practice in implementing the SDGs, especially in advancing gender equality and SDG 5 on gender equality and women’s empowerment.
Speaking at the event, Kamal Malhotra, United Nations Resident Coordinator to Vietnam stated that “States can facilitate a more inclusive and enabling environment in which all women can participate in public life through more ambitious targets, increased political will, sustainable financing and gender-responsive institutional arrangements. As Vietnam has always made efforts to advance gender equality in the Asian Pacific region, it has unique and synergistic opportunities to showcase its leading role in promoting gender equality in a COVID-19 world. The United Nations stands ready to continue to support the people and the Government of Vietnam in this important endeavor.”
The outcomes of the forum today will contribute to promoting policy recommendations and building synergies across gender mainstreaming efforts to accelerate the implementation of the SDGs in Vietnam.
