WeEmpowerAsia has strengthen the capacity of 3,323 women-owned enterprises to adapt and manage business to Covid-19 and the new normal.

This was part of the successful results after three years of implementing the programme “Promoting Economic Empowerment of Women at Work in Asia – WeEmpowerAsia” in Vietnam, according to the conference titled “WeEmpowerAsia Journey” recently organized by UN Women and the Vietnam Women Entrepreneurs Council (VWEC) under the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI).

It came within the framework of the programme WeEmpowerAsia funded by the European Union (EU).

More than 150 delegates have been sharing their experiences and calling for better efforts for women’s economic empowerment in Vietnam.

Through the successful results and lessons of WeEmpowerAsia, the conference has provided the authorities and enterprises with the necessary information and experience to replicate initiatives on women’s economic empowerment for sustainable businesses and society.

The conference brough together more than 150 delegates from ministries, international organizations, research institutions, business associations, enterprises, and women entrepreneurs nationwide.

“Promoting Economic Empowerment of Women at Work in Asia – WeEmpowerAsia” is a collaborative effort between UN Women and the EU, funded under its Partnership Instrument.

It was implemented in three years, from 2019 to 2022 in Vietnam, in partnership with Vietnam Women Entrepreneur Council, Agency for Enterprise Development, Assistance Centre for SMEs in the North of Ministry of Planning and Investment, Institute of Labour Science and Social Affairs of Ministry of Labour-Invalid and Social Affairs, and Vietnam Women's Academy of Vietnam Women’s Union.

After the three years of implementation, WeEmpowerAsia has achieved sizable key results.

The programme supported the gender mainstreaming in the Decree 80/2021/ND-CP guiding the implementation of the SMEs Support Law; the research and development of the programme “Enhancement of Competitiveness for Women-owned SMEs 2021-2025”.

It also conducted research and advocate policies on gender equality in businesses; assess Covid-19’s impact on businesses and recovery post-Covid for women’s economic empowerment; and policies on gender equality in businesses.

Around 3,323 women-owned enterprises have been strengthened their capacity to adapt and manage the business to Covid-19 and the new normal.

It built a web-based gender-responsive enterprise assessment tool for SMEs in the portal of the Agency for Enterprise Development; 15 e-learning courses on business management and leadership skills for businesswomen on the E-learning Platform of The Assistance Centre for SMEs in the North. 7,700 women received training in 15 months.

About 3,000 women received training during 10 e-learning courses on women entrepreneur’s start-ups and development on the e-learning platform of the Vietnam Women's Academy.

A total of 1,559 enterprises have improved awareness of women’s empowerment principles in the workplace, marketplace, and community. Moreover, 136 Vietnamese enterprises are WEPs signatories.

Two WEPs Awards 2020 and 2021 have been organized to encourage and recognize the efforts of companies that promote practices, programs, and actions to create more gender-inclusive business cultures embracing gender equality and women’s empowerment, raise awareness and mobilize more companies to implement the WEPs within their own business. As result, 19 enterprises won national WEPs Awards, and two enterprises won regional WEPs Awards Asia-Pacific.

A University Textbook named “Gender in Economics and Management” has been created to equip the young generation with gender equality knowledge.

Nguyen Thi Tuyet Minh, chairwoman of Vietnam Women Entrepreneurs Council.

Addressing the event, Nguyen Thi Tuyet Minh, chairwoman of the Vietnam Women Entrepreneurs Council, highlighted the importance of the conference, reflecting not only the imprints of the journey but also a great opportunity for stakeholders to discuss the sustainability of the project achievement as an element for the next journey to accompany and support enterprises and women entrepreneurs of VWEC and UN Women.

“While the achievements of the WeEmpowerAsia program are promising, it is important to keep in mind that moving from commitment to action requires political commitment and intentional efforts from all stakeholders to enable women to fully engage, participate and benefit from the gender-inclusive businesses and working environments on equal grounds,” Elisa Fernandez Saenz, Representative of UN Women Vietnam highlighted at the conference.

For his part, Le Thanh, program manager of the European Union Delegation, stressed that it would be important to ensure that women equally contribute to and benefit from the dual green-digital transition process of Vietnam, in the post-pandemic context.

On the sidelines of the conference, businesswomen performed a ao dai show with the theme of GOLDEN Rose 2022 and a charity auction.

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