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PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc presents flowers to female National Assembly deputies. Vietnam targets 60 percent of women holding key positions in the state management agencies by 2025. (Photo: VNA)

The programme on enhancing equal participation of women in leadership and management positions in policy-making process for 2021-2030 aims to promote women’s potential and creativeness towards realising the sustainable development goals on gender equality and women’s empowerment.

Accordingly, the percentage of women in the personnel planning scheme is envisaged at least 40 percent by 2025, and 50 percent by 2030.

Meanwhile, the country aims to have 75 percent of women in the personnel planning scheme receiving training by 2025, and increase the percentage to 90 percent five years later. In areas resided by ethnic minority groups, leaders must be ethnic people in line with the population structure.

A wide range of measures were outlined in the programme in a bid to realise the targets, including completing policies and legal framework, improving efficiency of implementation of policies on female leaders and female leader works, enhancing training, and raising public awareness of gender equality and the roles of women in the new period, among others, according to the VNA.

Also, achieving gender equality has been one of the prime concerns of many countries around the world. In Viet Nam, gender equality is also seriously considered by the Government in the policy making process, including the NTP NRD. Resolution No.26-NQ/TW of the Communist Party of Vietnam on agriculture, rural areas, and farmers is the foundation for the New Rural Development. The Resolution sets the targets for agriculture and rural development by 2020 and details eight main solutions. Out of these solutions, promotion of gender equality was briefly mentioned as a theme under solution 3 on improving the living standard of rural population.

“Accounting for 50% of the population, Vietnamese women play an important role in the fields of socio-economic development of the country in general, and in new rural development in particular. Women are key players in the development process and the beneficiaries of the Programme's achievements. With the functions and tasks of a representative socio-political organization: securing, protecting women's rights and legitimate interests, solidarity and mass gathering of women classes, Vietnam Women’s Union has performed well its core role in advocating, guiding and supporting women to participate in rural development”, Ms Do Thi Thu Thao, Vice President of Vietnam Women’s Union, emphasized the role of women in agriculture and rural development, said UN Vietnam.

The United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) in coordination with the Vietnam Women’s Union (VWU) and National Coordination Office of the NTP NRD held the Workshop on Gender Mainstreaming in the National Targeted Programme on New Rural Development. Photo: UN in Vietnam.

The National Targeted Programme on New Rural Development is arguably the most important initiative of Viet Nam in agriculture and rural development. In the context of reviewing 10 years of implementation of the Programme, in 2019, UN Women in collaboration with the Institute of Agriculture and Rural Development (IPSARD) and VWU participated and conducted an Independent Gender Review of the NTP NRD for the period of 2010-2020. The assessment was made using secondary data sources available, previous studies of NTP NRD, and a qualitative assessment with relevant stakeholders in five provinces (Ha Tinh, Quang Nam, Long An, Lam Đong, and Ha Noi), especially on the issues of gender, women empowerment and gender equality in the programme over the past 10 years.

“Gender stereotypes and gender bias towards boys in giving birth, raising and taking care of children, family planning, etc. still exist in some families and a part of the population in society (including the areas that met NRD standards). In fact, the working time of women in the family is often longer than of men. In many localities, men are still considered to be the breadwinner, they have the power to make decisions on major issues, and are representatives in the community. The housework and care work for family members are still believed to be the "vocation" of women," Mr Tran Nhat Lam, Vice Chief of National Coordination Office of the NTP NRD, laid out some issues related to gender equality, women and families in NRD that need further attention and discussion.

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