The conference was attended by leaders and representatives of the UN NGO Informal Regional Network (UN-ORG-IRENE) in the Asia and Pacific region, the International Association of the Economic and Social Councils and Similar Institutions (AICESIS), the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), the International Association of MDG Trainers (AIFOMD), the ASEAN Regional Centre of Excellence for MDGs (ARCMDG), the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) and the Japan Peace Boat. It also attracted delegates from Cambodia, China, the Republic of Korea, Brunei, Laos, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Vietnam.   

Delegates shared information about implementation of MDGs, with a focus on gender equality and increasing the empowerment of women. They proposed necessary measures to be taken at the national-, regional- and international levels to meet the 2015 deadline, and adopted the Da Nang Statement on gender equality to be formally submitted to the ECOSOC.

In her opening speech, Nguyen Thi Binh, head of the Vietnam Peace and Development Foundation, noted that women who represent half of the world’s population play a decisive role in various aspects of life, from the causes of peace and freedom to national sovereignty and independence, the environment, climate change and the continuation of the human race.

The world will be better and people will be happier if women are provided with suitable conditions to fulfil their obligations towards their families and society, said Ms Binh.

However, she said, society has not yet taken full advantage of women’s capacity in these areas.

She stressed that gender equality must be the common concern of the international community now that the world has big international organisations such as the United Nations to protect women’s rights.

In 2000, 189 heads of State agreed to sign a UN Declaration to meet millennium development goals by 2015, covering poverty reduction, universal primary education, child mortality reduction, maternal health, gender equality, the fight against HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases, environmental sustainability and establishment of a global partnership for development.

This year, the UN will review implementation of MDGs and introduce measures to speed up the fulfilment of the goals.