She highly valued the significance of the 1995 Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and the international community's achievements over the past 30 years. However, she also pointed out challenges including conflicts, poverty, diseases, inequality and the risk of falling behind faced by women and girls in the digital era. Notably, according to some projections, it may take up to 137 years to eradicate extreme poverty among women, and gender balance in national parliaments may not be achieved before 2063.
Thanh stressed the need to refine the institutional, legal, and policy framework to promote women's equal participation, especially in decision-making processes across all sectors.
To effectively mobilise all social resources, she also affirmed the importance of enhancing women's economic empowerment by strengthening public-private partnerships. This would support women's access to finance and markets, encourage their participation in innovation, entrepreneurship, and develop digital and green economies. It also includes ensuring equal participation in the labour market, by recognising, reducing, and redistributing unpaid domestic and caregiving work, alongside developing a care economy.
The last priority is enhancing women's participation, contributions, and leadership in science, technology, engineering, mathematics (STEM), innovation, and digital transformation. This includes researching and developing STEM ecosystem models, where women and girls are encouraged, supported, and guided in education, training, and career development in artificial intelligence, renewable energy, and the digital economy.
Sharing Vietnam’s outstanding achievements and efforts, NA Vice Chairwoman Thanh emphasised that women currently make up nearly one-third of the NA deputies and nearly 40% of the workforce in STEM fields consists of women. Women own 26.5% of total businesses in the country, account for 68.5% of the labour force, significantly higher than the global average of 48.7% and represent 14.4% of the country’s peacekeeping forces, surpassing the 10.2% UN average. Vietnam has been actively implementing digital literacy programmes nationwide, including initiatives specifically designed for women and girls, she added.
The NA Vice Chairwoman affirmed Vietnam’s commitment to proactively and actively making contributions to the global efforts for gender equality, as a member of the UN Human Rights Council for the 2023-2025 term and a member of the Executive Board of UN Women for the 2025-2027 term.
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At the 69th session of the CSW under the ECOSOC |
In his opening remarks at the session, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres warned about the prevalence of patriarchal attitudes, gender-based violence and discrimination, both in armed conflicts and cyberspace, economic inequalities, and the decline in international commitments, funding, and national financial resources allocated for gender equality.
Guterres affirmed that gender equality is a human right and called for increased investment in women and girls, enhanced access to quality education, better market opportunities, and a reduction in unpaid labour.
