With a total budget of USD4,683,516, of which more than USD4.5 million comes from the Spanish government, the Joint Programme aims to improve the capacity of national and provincial authorities and other duty bearers to effectively implement, monitor and evaluate the Law on Gender Equality and the Law on Domestic Violence Prevention and Control.
Although a strong policy and legal framework to promote gender equality exists in Viet Nam, more still needs to be done to create equal opportunities for men and women. The Joint Programme aims to strengthen implementation and monitoring of the laws on gender equality and domestic violence, research and analyse the extent of gender inequality in Viet Nam and improve information sharing and coordination among relevant ministries and civil society organisations.
“Viet Nam has a long history of promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment. This process has been clearly reflected in the enactment and enforcement of the Vietnamese Constitution and legislation, including labour and family legislation. The Government’s commitment to gender equality is also reflected in policies as well as in implementation from the central to grassroots level. Viet Nam is a signatory to the Convention on Human Rights which ensures equality between men and women. However, institutional capacity in the area of implementation and reporting, gender analysis, and data collection and monitoring remains weak. This Joint Programme reaffirms the Government’s commitment towards gender equality in Viet Nam,” said Ms Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan, Minister of MOLISA.
This is the first time that so many UN agencies in Viet Nam have come together to work on one, joint programme. By combining the collective experience and knowledge of twelve UN agencies a high-quality programme will be developed which will help to advance gender equality in Viet Nam.
“By bringing together the coordinated efforts of twelve UN agencies, the Joint Programme clearly supports the aim of the One UN Initiative – to reduce overlap and deliver more coherent and effective development support to Viet Nam. However, what makes this programme special is that it is a joint initiative. The UN will work closely with our three implementing partners: MOLISA, the Ministry of Culture, Sport and Tourism, and the Ministry of Planning and Investment as well as many other Government and civil society partners,” said Mr John Hendra, United Nations Resident Coordinator.
The Joint Programme will contribute to the achievement of Millennium Development Goal 3 (MDG3) that aims to promote gender equality and empower women. The programme will work across the health, education and economic sector and in particular will target vulnerable women and girls.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, Ms Soledad Fuentes, the Spanish Ambassador to Viet Nam said: “The Joint Programme being signed today will contribute to the achievement in Viet Nam of MDG3 by targeting vulnerable women and girls. We believe empowering women is essential to reducing poverty and attaining democracy, peace and sustainable development. On the issue of gender we are completely aligned with the Vietnamese government agenda and we recognize mutual accountability in addressing gender equality.”
Viet Nam passed the Gender Equality Law in 2006 and the Domestic Violence Law in 2007 and together these laws codify the State’s accountability for strengthening gender equality in public and private life.
Notes to editors:
The twelve UN participating in the joint programme are: FAO, ILO, IOM, UNAIDS, UNDP, UNESCO, UNFPA, UNICEF, UNIDO, UNIFEM, UNODC and WHO.
The MDG Achievement Fund (MDG-F) was established in December 2006 after the signing of an agreement between the Spanish Secretary of State for International Cooperation and former UNDP Administrator Kemal Dervis. The MDG-F seeks to facilitate the achievement of MDG3 and all other MDGs through interventions addressing three dimensions of gender equality and women’s empowerment: capabilities, access to resources and opportunities, and security. Viet Nam is among seven countries in Asia eligible to apply to the MDG-F for country level support.
Click here to download the fact sheetFor further information, please contact:
Ms Nguyen Thi Hong Thanh
One UN Communications
Web: www.un.org.vn
Tel: (84-4) 3822 4383 – Ext: 117
Mob: 091 309 3363
Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Gender Equality Department
MOLISA
12 Ngô Quyền, Hà Nội
Tel: (84-4) 3824 8913
Fax: (+84-4) 3824 1005
