Vietnam joins US-led Call to Action on Women’s Economic Empowerment

• Promoting women's economic empowerment amid COVID-19
• Vietnam committed to promoting gender equality, women’s rights

The Call to Action on Women’s Economic Empowerment urges the promotion and protection of basic human rights. It reaffirms the pivotal role of women in promoting prosperity and stabilisation of the global economy, especially as the world seeks to recover from the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic.

Ambassador Dang Dinh Quy, Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the United Nations (UN), represents Vietnam to sign the new US-led Call to Action on Women’s Economic Empowerment. (Photo: Vietnam's Permanent Mission to the UN)

It seeks to address legal barriers to women’s full and participation in the economy and increase investments to narrow the gender gap while recognising that the sharing of family responsibilities creates an enabling family environment for women’s economic empowerment in the changing world of work. It also looks to enhance women’s full access to and equal opportunities in the labour market and take effective action against discrimination and abuse in the workplace.

"Economic power is very important to achieve gender equality and to promote women’s participation in social, economic and political processes in every country," Quy told the virtual signing event on October 23.

“Vietnam attaches great importance to women’s economic empowerment, and this means gender mainstreaming in policy-making and policy-implementing processes,” he said.

“Up to now in Vietnam, women occupy 48.8 percent of the workforce, 25 percent of the business leaders, and 25 percent of the parliamentary members,” the ambassador said, adding that the vice president of Vietnam, the chair and the first vice chair of the Vietnamese National Assembly are female.

Vietnam hopes that this call will produce a new impetus to promote women’s empowerment in economic activities, he added.