National Action Month on Gender Equality launched

MoLISA Minister Dao Ngoc Dung affirmed the nation’s full commitments to ensuring gender equality and  increasing female empowerment, while emphasizing the important role of communications on gender equality.

As part of efforts to deal with gender inequality locally, Minister Dung stressed that in addition to laws, policies, and programmes to ensure social welfare, communication has been identified as the most important task and solution in raising public awareness, changing behaviour, contributing to eliminating prejudice, and moving towards achieving substantive gender equality.

Pauline Tamesis, resident coordinator of the UN in Vietnam, said that the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, natural disasters, wars, and conflicts have all contributed to increase gender-based violence and worsen economic difficulties of households.

As a means of minimizing their impact, investing in prevention work can be viewed as essential, as it not only helps women, children, and families, but also makes national economies healthier and more sustainable.

The action month has been held annually from November 15 to December 15 since 2016. To date, more than 10 million people have gained access to messages of the programme, thereby contributing to raising the awareness of gender equality and gender-based violence prevention and response.

The event saw Vietnam Airlines and the UN Office in Vietnam sign a commitment to engage in the Women's Empowerment Principles (WEPs).