The VWU called upon international organisations and donors to provide technical and financial assistance for its three major projects, which aim to educate five million mothers about techniques to raise children, train grassroots female experts and provide training courses on life skills for its members.

VWU President Nguyen Thi Thanh Hoa highlighted the union’s efforts to observe two laws that promote gender equality and curb domestic violence.

She stressed that these efforts are in dire need of international assistance to increase public awareness of these matters and improve the union’s staff supervisory capacity, as well as its ability to address women’s issues and tackle climate change.

UN Resident Coordinator in Vietnam, John Hendra, pointed out the need to increase international cooperation amidst the deepening global economic recession.

Efforts to improve women’s capacity and their social positions would contribute to development and poverty alleviation, and mitigate the impact of the crisis upon society, said the UN official.