The Feminist Foreign Policy Dialogue was held on Oct. 7 by the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam in collaboration with UN Women and the Embassies of France, Mexico, Spain, Sweden and Canada in Vietnam.

The dialogue was attended by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Pham Quang Hieu and President of the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organizations Pham Phuong Nga and facilitated by Acting President of the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam Pham Lan Dung and UN Women Representative in Viet Nam Elisa Fernandez.

The Ambassador of France Nicolas Warnery, the Ambassador of Spain Pilar Mendez Jiménez, Ambassador of Mexico Sara Valdes, Ambassador of Sweden Ann Make and Ambassador of Canada to Vietnam Deborah Paul delivered speeches at the dialogue.

Delegates attending the Feminist Foreign Policy Dialogue. Photo: Thuy Duong/Vietnam Times

In the opening speech, Acting President of the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam Lan Dung affirmed that women played a vital role in the development of Vietnam and had been continuously confirming their positions in every aspect, from politics to socio-economy.

Deputy Minister Quang Hieu underlined the importance of female empowerment in implementing foreign policies on bilateral and multilateral forums. In Vietnam, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been actively taking steps to ensure Vietnam’s commitment to international agreements on gender equality.

Overview of the Feminist Foreign Policy Dialogue. Photo: Thuy Duong/Vietnam Times

In the first session of the dialogue, participating ambassadors discussed the implementation of feminist foreign policies in their respective countries.

According to Ambassador of France to Vietnam Nicolas Warnery, the country’s policies focus on boosting gender equality in different fields, especially in development and humanitarian aids, where the voice and perspectives of women are heard at any time and from any angle. In addition, ensuring equality of income between men and women is one of France’s priorities to move towards a progressive and ideal working environment.

Meanwhile, Mexico’s feminist domestic policies aim first and foremost at vulnerable and discriminated groups in society and striving to practice multilateralism to find general solutions to social issues. By applying feminist foreign policy, these issues can be clarified, including social and gender inequality.

Ambassador of Mexico to Vietnam Valdes believes that achieving consistency in policymaking and implementation is highly important, as shown via improvement in the working environment, practicing the feminist approach and ensuring an equal working environment, which gives women room to raise their voice and provide comments in policies making.

In the second session, the participating ambassadors discussed the application of the feminist foreign policies in their respective countries and the successes gained. Specifically, the policy has been applied in a practical manner, focusing on supporting women in work and everyday life. However, implementing the policy requires cooperation between authorities at all levels. The measurement of the policy’s effectiveness is not a simple task, requiring clear action goals and systematic auditing.

President of the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organizations Phuong Nga speaking at the Feminist Foreign Policy Dialogue. Photo: Thuy Duong/Vietnam Times

President of the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organizations Phuong Nga said that “women have advantages over men as they have unique characteristics. Not only do they know how to listen and apply flexible approaches to communications, but they are also persistent and determined. These are the necessary qualities of diplomats.”

Discussing the cultural and traditional aspects in implementing the feminist foreign policy, Ambassador of Spain to Vietnam Jiménez said that culture did not exist for eternity but kept changing constantly. Because human creates culture, the fact that women are obstructed by culture is something that must be changed.

The delegates took a commemorative photo with students from the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam. Photo: Thuy Duong/Vietnam Times

VUFO, UN Women Work to Promote Female Empowerment Cooperation between the VUFO member organizations UN agencies in Vietnam, including UN Women, would be strengthened to promote women's empowerment.

UNFPA Works to Reduce Maternal Mortality in Vietnam's Ethnic Minority Regions Innovative interventions needed to reduce maternal mortality in ethnic minority regions in Vietnam.

Agent Orange Victim Dedicated to Helping the Disabled Born a second-generation victim of Agent Orange, Tu Thi Nhat Linh has been facing health setbacks since she was a young child. Never giving up, ...