Vietnam puts great importance on women’s role in UN-led peace processes

Ambassador Dang Dinh Quy, permanent representative of Vietnam to the United Nations (UN), made the statement at an Arria-formula meeting titled “Call to Lead by Example: Ensuring the Full, Equal and Meaningful Participation of Women in UN-led Peace Processes”. The event was held on March 8 and co-hosted by the Republic of Ireland and 11 member states of the UN Security Council, including Vietnam.
The Vietnamese diplomat also highlighted the current achievements and challenges to the promotion of women's engagement during UN-led peace processes.

The Ambassador emphasised the need to continue to raise greater awareness of women's full, equal, and meaningful participation in peace processes across all levels. Indeed, the rights, interests, and needs of women and girls should be further promoted as a means of ensuring that women remain equal partners during each stage of political procedures, he said.

Countries must therefore ensure there is sufficient participation from women in terms of outlining policies, strategies, and initiatives on peace and security at national, regional, and international levels. Providing that women are equipped with knowledge and skills, then they should be politically empowered and given full access to equal participation in decision and policy-making processes.

In order to obtain tangible and long-term outcomes, Ambassador Quy said it must be considered essential to ramp up international co-operation, whilst sharing resources and experience, thereby calling on sponsors to meet the commitment to provide 15% of ODA capital for gender equality promotion in conflict-hit nations.

Upon addressing representatives of roughly 60 countries and UN agencies, Rosemary DiCarlo, UN Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, praised the UN’s efforts to pursue this common objective through the mainstreaming of gender equality within the UN system. DiCarlo noted that women currently account for 54% of the senior leadership of special political missions.

Participants in the meeting shared the view that the enhancement of women’s participation in peace processes can be of great significance, emphasising the importance of the elimination of barriers facing women in areas of peace and security.

They also shared their measures and experience in this regard, including raising awareness, building national action plans, and empowering and increasing development to support women’s participation in political procedures.

Arria-formula meetings are informal meetings of the UN Security Council which feature the participation of the council’s members, other UN member states, and international organisations to deal with important and emerging issues.