Vice NA Chairman Tong Thi Phong and Vice President Nguyen Thi Doan were among others attending the seminar jointly held by the National Assembly’s Committee for Social Affairs, the Vietnam Women Parliamentarians’ Group and the UN office in Vietnam.

Talking about Vietnam’s efforts in the application of the CEDAW in the country, Vice President Doan affirmed that since the Law on Gender Equality took effect in 2006, gender integration has become a compulsory legal procedure for building legal documents-an important step towards boosting gender equality in Vietnam.
The State will create every condition for women to exercise their right to equality in all aspects of social and family life, she added.

Vietnam’s achievements in developing human resources and protecting human rights, as well as promoting gender equality, are acknowledged by the international community,

Mrs Doan said, adding that the position and role of women has much improved.
She expressed her hope that with assistance from the UN and other international organisations, Vietnam will effectively implement the contents of the convention and the law on gender equality, helping successfully fulfill the goal of a “Rich people, strong country and just, democratic and civilised society.”

The CEDAW was approved by the UN General Assembly on December 18, 1979. To date, 186 countries, including Vietnam have ratified the convention.

Jesper Morch, Acting UN Resident Coordinator in Vietnam, said the ratification of the CEDAW reflects international efforts in both protecting and extending women’s rights in the world over the past decades.