10 Years to Implement the National Strategy - For the Advancement of Vietnamese Women: Most Plan Targets Are Reached or Exceeded

The meeting was to assess the implementation process of targets and solutions concerning strategies, action plans, and to set directions and and key tasks concerning gender equality and the advancement of Dong Nai women in the coming time.

Head of Gender Equality Committee and of Secretariat of the National Committee for the Advancement of Women Pham Ngoc Tien awards Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs’ certificates of merit to collectives

The meeting was attended by Head of Gender Equality Committee and of Secretariat of the National Committee for the Advancement of Women Pham Ngoc Tien and Vice Chairwoman of Dong Nai People’s Committee and Head of the Committee for the Advancement of Dong Nai Women Huynh Thi Nga.

After ten years to implement the national strategy and five years to implement action plans for the advancement of Dong Nai women, most plan targets are met and exceeded.

Equal rights for women in the fields of labor, employment, education, health care, politics, economics, culture and society are increasingly promoted.

The propaganda and dissemination of education, policies and law on gender equality are regularly carried out at all levels of authorities, departments and unions; thereby raising the public awareness of gender equality and gradually bringing it into the lives of officers, civil servants, and people from all walks of life.

In terms of employment generation in 2006-2010 period, Dong Nai created jobs for 433,500 people among whom women workers account for 53 to 55 percent.

Thanks to vocational training programs and projects for rural laborers, 242,399 laborers including 129,798 women laborers got trained, accounting for 53.54 percent

Women laborers under vocational training grow every year.

In addition, 22,673 rural laborers, including women laborers have taken agricultural encouragement courses worth VND15 billion (or US$738,069).

Besides, 45,415 poor households whose owners are women have got loans for doing business.

Summation meeting

In terms of education, every year 96.62 to 99.63 percent of female children at the age of 11 to 14 finish primary school and enter the sixth grade.

It is estimated that approximately 100 percent of illiterate women at the age of 35 to 40 are able to read and write.

In terms of health care, 100 percent of women gain access to health services. 100 percent of medical clinics in communes, wards and towns have paediatrics and obstetrics doctors and physicians or midwife. These clinics also ensure a supply of medicine, medical supplies, proper technical equipment, and provide safe services for pregnant mothers.

Late 2010, the rate of pregnant mother’s mortality went down to 0.001 percent.

Additionally, Committee for the Advancement of Dong Nai women collaborated with committees, sectors, and unions in improving the quality of women's activities in the areas of politics, economics, culture, and society and in increasing the percentage of women holding leadership positions to contribute to maintaining women and female children’s legitimate rights and interests.

Ethnic minority women are reading newspapers to improve their knowledge

Addressing the meeting, Vice Chairwoman of Dong Nai People’s Committee Huynh Thi Nga commended Committee for the Advancement of Dong Nai Women for its past year achievements.

Thanks to clear measures to promote women’s status and role, Dong Nai women are increasingly making significant contributions to the province’s stability and development in all aspects of life and society, Nga said.

However, there remains a gender gap in various aspects such as a low percentage of women holding leadership and management positions and employment creation for rural women laborers.

Therefore, gender equality and the advancement of women should continue being promoted better and better.

Here are some of Nga’s suggestions in the coming time:

+ To fully grasp Dong Nai Party Committee’s resolution no. 07-NQ/TU and the Politburo’s resolution no. 11-NQ/TW concerning women affairs in the process of accelerating the country’s industrialization and modernization.

+ To bring the targets of gender equality and the advancement of women into levels of Party committee’s resolutions and into local authorities’ socio-economic development plans.

+ To enhance women’s participation in leadership positions at all levels of authorities, sectors and unions.

+ To increase the quality and effectiveness of the dissemination and education towards gender equality and the advancement of women.

+ To continue strengthening the structure and enhancing the gender equality staff’s capability.

+ To offer training and refresher courses to young women staff that are qualified and possess practical abilities to aim at a higher percentage of women staff taking leadership positions.

On this occasion, Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs awarded certificates of merit to three collectives and four individuals obtaining outstanding achievements in the process of pursuing gender equality and the advancement of women.

In addition, Dong Nai People’s Committee awarded certificates of merit to 52 collectives and 55 individuals.

Reported by N. Le, Translated by Duy Minh