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| At the awarding ceremony of UN Women WEPs Awards 2024 (Photo: VNA) |
The award ceremony was held in Hanoi within the framework of the WE RISE Together project funded by the Australian Government through the Mekong-Australian Partnership and implemented by UN Women. The Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs), an initiative of UN Women and UN Global Compact, encourages businesses to adopt practices that encourage gender equality.
Award-winning entrepreneurs and businesses included Kaowsiri Purin, CEO of Crystal Martin Vietnam; Cao Thi Ngoc Dung; Chairwoman of Phu Nhuan Jewelry; Tran Thi Thu Thuy, member of the Board of Directors of VPS Securities JSC; Coca-Cola Vietnam; and Vietnam Airlines, among others.
Addressing the event, Vice President of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry Nguyen Quang Vinh said that equality and prosperity are not only goals but also driving forces for sustainable development of businesses and society. The UN Women WEPs Awards highlight the relentless efforts of businesses and individuals to promote leadership roles, gender equality commitments, and the creation of fair and progressive business environments, he stated.
Meanwhile, Caroline T. Nyamayemombe, UN Women Representative in Vietnam, emphasised that women-led businesses play a critical role in narrowing gender gaps in the workplace, the market, and the community. She expressed her hope that the WEPs Awards would usher in a transformative era, setting new standards for businesses to follow and ensuring no one is left behind, including the businesses themselves.
More than 100 participating delegates representing businesses and Government agencies shared lessons learned in promoting gender equality through community and partner relations, building sustainable supply chains, and implementing financial initiatives for gender equality. The event also reviewed the outcomes of the "WE RISE Together" project after three years of implementation.
Christine Arab, Regional Director of UN Women for Asia and the Pacific, noted that empowering women-led businesses and those practicing gender equality through diverse suppliers and responsible procurement not only promotes gender equality but also drives economic growth and sustainable development. The "WE RISE Together" project has shown that investing in women and gender equality is a smart investment for the future, she said.
The UN Women WEPs Awards, initiated in 2020 and held annually since, aim to recognise the pioneering role of businesses and business leaders in promoting gender equality and supporting the WEPs. In the 2024 edition, awards were given across six categories, including Leadership Commitment to Gender Equality, Gender Equality in the Workplace, and Gender Equality in the Market. In 2022, 15 Vietnamese businesses received the awards. To date, 222 businesses in Vietnam and 10,296 globally have committed to these principles.
The "WE RISE Together" project, underway in Vietnam from March 2022 to February 2025, has generated significant results. It contributes to the policy-building process for small and medium-sized enterprises, while training 653 leaders and employees, 98% of whom are women, from 261 women-led businesses.
Vietnam spends 145.6 million USD importing pepper
As of mid-November 2024, the country's pepper exports reached 1.1674 billion USD, said the Vietnam Pepper and Spice Association on November 28.
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| Vietnam is a major pepper exporter in the world every year. (Photo: hanoimoi.vn) |
Specifically, in the first half of November 2024, Vietnam exported 8,082 tons of pepper, valued at 55.4 million USD. Regarding export markets, the United States is still Vietnam’s largest pepper market. Since the beginning of the year, this market has imported 2,362 tons of pepper and spices of all kinds, accounting for 29.2% of Vietnam’s export market share.
As of November 2024, Vietnam exported more than 219,387 tons of pepper of all kinds; of which, black pepper is 193,892 tons and white pepper is 25,495 tons. The average export price of black pepper is 4,971 USD a ton, an increase of 1,528 USD and white pepper is 6,626 USD a ton, an increase of 1,671 USD over the same period last year.
In spite of being a major pepper exporter, Vietnam also imports a large amount of pepper.
According to statistics from the Vietnam Pepper and Spice Association, in the first half of November 2024, Vietnam imported 2,484 tons of pepper, valued at 14.3 million USD; up 8.2% in volume. Indonesia continues to be the largest pepper supplier to Vietnam, accounting for 82.3%, reaching 2,045 tons.
In Jan-Nov 2024, Vietnam imported more than 28,596 tons of pepper of all kinds; of which, black pepper was 25,456 tons and white pepper was 3,140 tons, with a total import turnover of 131.3 million USD.
Compared to the same period last year, the import volume increased by 27.1%, and the turnover increased by 78.5%. Indonesia became the largest pepper supplier to Vietnam, accounting for 36.0%, reaching 10,287 tons, up 257.2% over the same period last year. It was followed by Brazil with 9,013 tons, accounting for 31.5%, down 35.5%, and Cambodia with 6,695 tons, accounting for 23.4%, up 96.7%. Vietnam spent 145.6 million USD importing pepper in the eleven months.
32 projects enter final round of rural youth startup project contest
The 2024 rural youth startup project contest is a special playground to encourage rural youth to promote the spirit of entrepreneurship and career building, contributing to building a modern and sustainable agricultural economy.
The Central Committee of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union and the Vietnam Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Agribank) organized the final round of the "Rural Youth Startup Project" contest in the northern province of Thai Binh, on November 27.
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| 32 projects enter the final round of the rural youth startup project contest. (Photo: CPV) |
This is one of the outstanding activities at the National Rural Youth Festival and the 19th Luong Dinh Cua Award Ceremony in 2024.
Launched in March 2024, the contest attracted 461 projects from all 63 provincial and municipal Youth Unions nationwide, including 84 projects of youth from 20 ethnic minorities. After the semi-final round took place online in September 2024, the 32 best projects were selected for the final round.
Speaking at the program, Head of the Central Committee of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union’s Rural Youth Department Nguyen Thi Thu Van said that the contest aims to encourage creativity and create motive power for rural youth to go further in their entrepreneurial journey.
The projects in this year’s final round are diverse in fields, from smart agriculture and clean production to circular economic models. Many ideas are not only breakthroughs but also have high potential for practical application, meeting the development needs of the agricultural sector.
The jury will award one First prize, two Second prizes, three Third prizes and three Consolation prizes for the best projects in a ceremony held in the evening of November 29.
Ministry of Transport’s disbursement hits nearly 68%
The Ministry of Transport disbursed 51.2 trillion VND in Jan-Nov 2024, nearly 68% of the year’s plan, said the ministry’s Department of Planning and Investment on November 26.
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| Photo for illustration |
The Department of Planning and Investment said that in 2024, the Ministry of Transport was assigned by the Prime Minister to disburse 71,288 billion VND in public investment capital. However, aiming to meet the capital demand for implementation of projects, the Ministry was assigned an additional 1,240 billion VND from the increased central budget revenue in 2022 and an additional 2,954 billion VND for projects in group B (projects with a total investment of 120 billion VND to less than 2,300 billion VND) that lack capital. Therefore, the ministry’s total capital plan for 2024 is 75,482 billion VND.
Aiming to accelerate the disbursement of investment capital this year, the Department of Planning and Investment has advised the Ministry of Transport to request investors to direct contractors to focus all resources and take advantage of favorable weather to implement construction.
Investors also need to closely coordinate with levels, sectors and localities to quickly remove obstacles in site clearance, resettlement, relocation of technical infrastructure and exploitation of material mines; monitor and supervise the monthly disbursement progress, promptly regulate and adjust capital from slow-disbursing projects to projects with faster disbursement, ensuring maximum disbursement of the assigned capital.
In addition, aiming to accelerate disbursement in the last months of the year, the head of the unit will be responsible for disbursement results, considering this an important criterion to evaluate the level of completion of year-end tasks.
Coffee exports set to hit 5.6 billion USD in 2024
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| Farmers harvest coffee beans in Buon Ma Thuot city, Dak Lak province (Photo: VNA) |
Coffee export revenue is projected to reach a record 5.6 billion USD this year, driven by rising global coffee prices, reported Vietnam News Agency.
Nguyen Nam Hai, Chairman of the Vietnam Coffee and Cocoa Association, noted that the recent surge in world coffee prices has also pushed up domestic prices. He explained that while prices might fluctuate as Vietnam's main coffee harvest begins next month, they are expected to remain higher than last year since other major coffee-producing countries have yet to enter their harvest season.
On November 27, coffee prices in the Central Highlands provinces of Dak Lak, Lam Dong, and Dak Nong ranged from 121,800 to 122,700 VND per kilogram (4.81–4.84 USD), an increase of 9,000–11,000 VND per kilogram compared to 20 days earlier. Traders reported that prices have been climbing ahead of the 2024–2025 harvest season, leaving farmers weighing the decision to sell their coffee beans immediately or hold onto their stock in hopes of further price increases.
In the first 11 months of 2024, Vietnam exported approximately 1.2 million tonnes of coffee, generating nearly 5 billion USD. This represents a 13.5% decline in export volume but a 38.1% increase in value compared to the same period last year./.