Hanoi (VNA) - Vietnam has made strides in women’s empowerment, said PaulineTamesis, UN Resident Coordinator in Vietnam and Caroline Nyamayemombe,Representative of UN Women in the country in a joint article entitled “Invest in women:Accelerate progress” on the occasion of the 114th InternationalWomen’s Day.

Le Thi Ha Giang, a young entrepreneur, is working hard tointegrate digital skills in her business to keep up with the transformingsociety. As one of the 60 trainees of the Empower Her Tech Programme by theUnited Nations Development Programme, she learnt website building, digitaldesign, using generative AI, and other digital skills which will help her growher business in the future.

Mi has never felt this confident or respected in her life – she isnow the main breadwinner in the family, despite having fallen victim to humantrafficking. It became possible with the help of the International Organisationon Migration, with support from the UK Government and collaboratively withreintegration partners from the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs,who provided Mi with three female goats – a source of food and additionalincome – and facilitated her societal reintegration.

These stories demonstrate that women, given the opportunity, areeager to work hard to change their lives for the better.

According to the UN officials, Vietnam has made strides in women’s empowerment. Legislation,including the Gender Equality Law and special 35% candidate quota for women inthe National Assembly, enabled legal and policy environment to driveinvestments for women’s empowerment. Efforts are showing results with thecountry climbing 11 places on the latest World Economic Forum’s Global GenderGap Index, rising from 83rd to 72nd place out of 146 countries. Vietnam at over70% female workforce participation rate, counts as one of the highest in theworld and, with 30.26% women representation in parliament, Vietnam exceeds theglobal average of 25.5%.

Nevertheless, like elsewhere in the world, women still facebarriers to equal opportunities in education, employment, and access toleadership positions. Ethnic community and disabled women especially stand out.Party bodies and People’s Council include only 6% and 7.3% female ethnic groupmembers respectively, compared to male ethnic cadres at 36.1% and 39.0%. While Vietnamis on a good track at other levels, more work is needed at the commune levelwhere only 22% of women are part of the commune People’s Committees.

"Looking back at the achievements of the past 29 years of implementingthe Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action on women’s empowerment andnearly 40 years since adopting the Convention on the Elimination of all formsof Discrimination against Women in 1981, we can draw some critical reflectionsto accelerate progress for women," they said.

Increasing women’s leadership across public and privateinstitutions improves institutional performance. Up to 80% of topbusinesses with good results and stable operations during COVID-19, listed onthe Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange, were led by females, while only 26.5% ofbusiness owners and CEOs in Vietnam are women. Moreover, women’s leadership andparticipation in key institutions is essential to combat bias and stereotypesand build public trust. By 2030, 70% of the State management agencies areexpected to have at least one woman in a leadership role.

Strengthening quality education for women and girls and ensuringequal access to leadership training, career development, and funded programmes,particularly in STEM, is a key to successful digital transformation. Theproportion of female graduates completing tertiary education in STEM fields inViệt Nam is 36.5%. Polytechnic University has over 78% male students comparedto 22% female students. Since 75% of jobs globally will be related to STEM by2050, targeting gender equality in STEM education would prevent growingimbalances that may be exacerbated by digital transformation.

While women are hard workers and are as competent as men, they arestill paid less than men. Globally, women earn 77 % of what men earn.Gender-responsive social protection systems that ensure equitable access andsupport for women and girls in poverty are sorely needed. These systems helpaddress income disparities, improve education and health outcomes, and preventgender-based violence.

"These also promote access to decent work and facilitatethe transition from informal to formal employment for women," stated the article.

Innovative financing solutions lift women and girls out ofpoverty. Ensuring that public resources are allocated and spent to respondto the needs and demands of women and girls will guarantee about 230,000 poorhouseholds in rural area with housing support by 2025 – Vietnam has clearlydemonstrated this through its National Target Programme on New RuralDevelopment. A compact of innovative financing mechanisms to increaseinvestments on health, education, infrastructure to make social protectionservices reach those furthest behind will unlock greater economic prosperityfor the country.

The United Nations Secretary-General reiterates that “we mustinvest in programmes to end violence against women, and to drive women’sinclusion and leadership in economies, digital technologies, peacebuilding andclimate action.”

Reflecting on this year’s theme for International Women’s Day, ‘Invest in women:Accelerate progress,’ underscores the importance of empowering andsupporting women to drive societal advancement.

"Mi and Le Thi Ha Giang’s stories tell us that the future can andmust be brighter," they concluded./.