Vietnamese Women's Day kicks off Australian "gender month" in Vietnam

“Gender equality and women’s empowerment are top priorities in Australia, as well as in our foreign policy, economic diplomacy and overseas aid program. In Australia and Vietnam, as with all countries, however, there is still much to be done to empower women and girls", said Natasha Stott Despoja, Australia's Ambassador for Women and Girls during her recent visit to Vietnam.

“Australia is committed to promoting gender equality and women's empowerment in Vietnam, with a particular focus on three priority areas: promoting women's economic empowerment; enhancing women's voice in decision making and leadership; and ending violence against women and girls”, stressed Australian Ambassador to Vietnam, Mr. Craig Chittick.

A highlight of our gender month this year will be the launch of the Australian Government's Gender Strategy for Vietnam in November. Other key activities will include the launch of training for female National Assembly deputies, a Women in Leadership Forum for Australian alumni, a visit by the Australian Ambassador to northern mountainous areas including Tuyen Quang, Yen Bai and Son La provinces, and many more internal and external events to promote women’s empowerment and showcase the contributions of women both in Vietnam and Australia.

While the Australian Government works actively throughout the year on gender issues in Vietnam, Australia makes it a particular focus during the period from Vietnamese Women's Day on October 20th to the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women (also known as White Ribbon Day) on November 25th.

With more than AUD10 million invested in dedicated gender-related programming over the past few years, Australia is already one of the largest donors to advancing gender equality in Vietnam and our contribution is set to become larger.

Promoting women’s economic empowerment, including among ethnic minorities, will be one of the three objectives of Australia's development cooperation with Vietnam for the period 2015-2020./.