Discrimination and neglect are threatening women's very survival in the Asia - Pacific region, when women suffer from some of the world's lowest rates of political representation, employment and poverty ownership. Their lack of participation is also depressing economic growth. These are some of the finding of the UNDP, sponsored 2010 Asia - Pacific Human Development Report (Power, Voice and Rights: A Turning Point for Gender Equality in Asia and the Pacific), launched on March 9th, 2010 in Hanoi. "Empowering women is vital for achieving development goals overall, and for boosting economic growth and sustainable development. Vietnam is an acknowledged leader in the region in promoting gender equality but more still needs to be done to bring about gender equality between Vietnamese men and women," says John Hendra, UN Resident Coordinator. The Report focuses on three key areas, economic power, political decision, making and legal rights, to analyze what holds women back, and how policies … [Read more...] about Power, Voice and Rights – Key to achieving gender equality in Asia-Pacific
Gender equality
Increased women representation ensures gender equality
(CPV) - A high-level seminar on October 17th 2013 focussed on how to increase women's representation in elected positions to 35 percent in 2016. The discussion brought together representatives from the Party; Government; Standing Committee of the Women Parliamentarians Group; People's Committees of several provinces; as well as Ambassadors and representatives from International Organizations. The seminar, held following the celebration of the 20th founding anniversary of the National Committee for the Advancement of Women (NCFAW), was chaired by Ms Pham Thi Hai Chuyen, Chairperson of NCFAW and Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, with support from the UN Development Prgramme and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Viet Nam has only 24 percent women in the current National Assembly (2011-2016), a decline of nearly 3 percent since 2002. Meanwhile, women account for approximately 25 percent in the elected bodies at the provincial and district levels and only 21 percent at the … [Read more...] about Increased women representation ensures gender equality
Opportunity for Vietnam to Improve Gender Equality at Work
Vietnam has a window of opportunity to address gender equality at work and support sound industrial relations, but more efforts are needed, as highlighted by a workshop on the implementation of the revised Labour Code and the new Trade Union Law, jointly organized on September 24 by the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI), the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) and the International Labour Organization (ILO). … [Read more...] about Opportunity for Vietnam to Improve Gender Equality at Work
UN Women fund for gender equality supports women migrant workers in Viet Nam
(CPV) -The Institute of Community Health and Development organized an Orientation Workshop for their new Project "We are women - A rights-based approach to empowering migrant women in Viet Nam" on August 28th 2013. This project is funded with the budget USD 200,000 by the Fund for Gender Equality (FGE) - a global UN Women fund exclusively dedicated to gender equality and women's economic and political empowerment. Women migrants are facing different vulnerabilities, stemming from their inability, in many cases, to access basic services and attain adequate living conditions; from their differential treatment in the labour market; and from the social stigma attached to them. Moreover, there is evidence to suggest that some migrant women in Viet Nam are particularly vulnerable to gender-based violence as they are engaged in domestic work hidden from the outside world and difficult to regulate, although the new Labour Code has recently recognized domestic workers. If these gender issues … [Read more...] about UN Women fund for gender equality supports women migrant workers in Viet Nam
Enterprises support gender equality
VietNamNet Bridge - The Centre for Social Initiatives Promotion (CSIP) has called for organizations and enterprises to apply applications to Social Enterprise Support Program 2013 (SESP 2013). This is partly to conduct the "Plan W - empowering women through learning" campaign that is first launched in Vietnam by Diageo. Under the sponsorship of Diageo, SESP 2013 will identify and directly invest in social enterprises, capacity improvement, business consulting and networking at their critical stages of development in order to enhance their sustainability and social impact. Pham Kieu Oanh, director of CSIP, said that CSIP has so far supported 40 social enterprises and 500 disadvantaged women in Vietnam. Through the Plan W campaign and the strategic partnership with Diageo, CSIP hopes to support other 22,000 women within five years. "CSIP has the strong point in supporting the community. Diageo has its own strong point in finance as well as strict compliance to affirm its … [Read more...] about Enterprises support gender equality