Hanoi (VNA) - ꦡNational Assembly (NA) Vice Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Thanh received Lee In-sun, Chairwoman of the National Assembly Gender Equality and Family Committee of the Republic of Korea (RoK) in Hanoi on June 23.

Thanh highlighted the fruitful development of the Vietnam – RoK relationship over the three decades, noting that bilateral relations are currently at their best ever, with political trust continuously reinforced, fueled in part by the active and constructive engagement of the two countries’ legislative bodies. She affirmed that the NA and Government of Vietnam always give priority to the promotion of gender equality, the empowerment of women, and the building of progressive and sustainable families. Vietnam has enacted the Law on Gender Equality and the Law on Domestic Violence Prevention and Control, while also signing and rigorously implementing the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW).

Currently, over 30% of NA deputies are women, and the proportion of female leaders across the political system continues to rise, she said. Vietnam always regards the RoK as an important and long-term strategic partner; and hopes that the two sides will work together to further deepen the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in a more substantive, effective, and comprehensive manner in the coming time, Thanh stressed. She called on the RoK committee to strengthen cooperation with relevant Vietnamese agencies to enhance delegation exchanges; expand interactions between lawmakers, especially young parliamentarians; and promote the bridging role of the countries’ friendship parliamentary groups. Thanh also urged closer collaboration in reviewing, assessing, and improving policies to protect the rights of immigrant women in both countries. She suggested the two sides strengthen professional exchanges between committees and agencies specialising in gender, children, and family affairs; implement training programmes, experience-sharing initiatives, and exchanges to enhance legislative capacity in related areas; promote mechanisms for legal information provision and exchange in the fields of civil status and nationality; and boost close coordination in addressing civil status and nationality issues concerning citizens of the two nations. The Vietnamese legislator expressed her hope that the RoK will continue carrying out programmes aimed at supporting women and children from multicultural families, pilot initiatives to assist women reintegrating into society after divorce or returning to Vietnam, and encourage RoK businesses and local authorities to include women and children from multicultural families in specialised welfare schemes and involve them in local social and community development efforts. For her part, Lee affirmed that the RoK always attaches great importance to and prioritise gender equality in its activities; and exerts continuous efforts to improve its legal and policy frameworks, while raising public awareness of gender equality. She stressed that her committee will continue to work closely with relevant Vietnamese agencies to promote an inclusive, safe, and equal environment for women and children in multicultural families, while fostering sustainable and respectful people-to-people exchanges, thus contributing to the global progress. It will recommend the RoK government to pay close attention to and create favourable conditions for the Vietnamese community in the RoK in terms of employment, education, and daily life, while ensuring their security, safety, and protection of legitimate rights, Lee added. During their meeting, the two sides exchanged and shared experience on the effective use of information technology, including cybersecurity, with particular attention to ensuring cybersecurity for women and children./.