VIETNAM: Viet Nam PM Calls on Women to Play Greater Role in Regional Growth

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung yesterday called on Southeast Asian women to maintain their prominent role in helping develop their countries and the regional community.

The Government leader made his statement at the opening of the ASEAN Council of Women's Organisations (ACWO) General Assembly in Ha Noi yesterday.

The ACWO's contribution to the advancement of regional women over the past 30 years was praised by the Prime Minister, in which the council has successfully promoted gender equality and the involvement of women in the development of their countries and the region as a whole.

"The participation and contribution of women in the creation and development of ASEAN is greatly significant," said Dung at the two-day meeting which has drawn more than 200 participants from the region and international organisations.

The Prime Minister asked the Council to develop ideas and measures to make the most of women's potential and creativeness, further promoting women's advancement and their contribution to the building of the ASEAN Community in general, and the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community in particular.

Dung took the opportunity to call on regional governments to prioritise and maintain their support for programmes and activities promoting gender equality and female empowerment.

The ACWO's 14th General Assembly, with the theme "Enhancing women's effective participation toward a peaceful, prosperous and sustainable ASEAN" is focusing its discussions on a wide range of issues to find solutions to increasing the role of regional women as well as promoting their advancement and gender equality.

Dung confirmed in his speech that Viet Nam always attached importance to the promotion of its female population and ensuring their rights.

"The contributions of Vietnamese women to the development of the country have been increasing and they are taking on more important roles in all walks of life," said the PM, who emphasised that the government always gave favourable conditions to women to make their best contribution to the country's development.

Dung committed to regional women's representatives that Viet Nam has been and will be making every effort to work in close co-ordination with regional countries to achieve the ASEAN targets of promoting women's advancement, gender equality and their role in building the ASEAN Community. The regional community is expected to be built by 2015.

The conference, being held in Ha Noi under the chair of the Viet Nam Women's Union (VWU) which is the ACWO President from 2008-10, provides a forum for women to share their insights on women-related issues.

The conference will adopt a resolution to promote the participation and contribution of women to the development of their countries and the region, as well as the commitment of regional governments on the promotion of women's advancement and gender equality, said VWU President Nguyen Thi Thanh Hoa at the opening yesterday.

The role of women in response to the financial crisis and climate change and the promotion of women's advancement and gender equality by ASEAN governments are being discussed at the conference which concludes today. The participants have also been exchanging information on other issues including poverty alleviation, food security and safety, migrant workers, and the prevention of domestic violence against women and children, according to Hoa.

A ceremony to hand-over the ACWO Presidency to Indonesia, which will take the chair of the Council from 2010 to 2012, will be held later today.