Gender mainstreaming: Laws, Policies, and Actions

On May 13, 2014 at 8:00 am the Gender Working Group (GWG) of Ho Chi Minh City held a regular meeting conducted by Ms Do Thi Thanh Thuy, who is a lecturer and collaborator at the Gender and Society Research Center (GAS) at Hoa Sen University.

The meeting took place in a conference room at the KOTO Center at 151A Hai Ba Trung Street, District 3, Ho Chi Minh City. Participants were GWG members, most of whom are foreigners working for International Non-governmental Organizations in Vietnam. The meeting focused on legal issues, policies and activities involving gender mainstreaming in Vietnam.  At the beginning of the meeting Ms. Dana Mc Nairn, a GWG leader, summarized the issues discussed at the last meeting and announced that the next meeting would be held in July. Then Ms Thuy began her presentation by sharing how gender mainstreaming was defined in other places and in Vietnam in which she emphasized that the definitions are not different in terms of content.

The comparison was aimed to help international gender activists understand and easily apply gender mainstreaming on development projects in Vietnam. Ms. Thuy also emphasized that the Vietnamese government pays very close attention to gender mainstreaming in its development programs and policies. At the meeting numerous approaches were also discussed.  Several gender mainstreaming approaches were taken in the development programs and laws of the Vietnamese government such as the gender equality law, the national strategies for the advancement of Vietnamese women, the strategic plan to alleviate poverty, MDGs and VDGs indicators etc... Additionally, she highlighted the important role that education plays regarding the empowerment of women and the gender equality enhancement process in Vietnam. Specifically, Ms. Thuy talked about the gender and development courses at Hoa Sen University which aim to raise gender equality awareness and woman empowerment among the young Vietnamese generation. The meeting also involved a very spirited discussion regarding questions from the international members such as: how to connect and apply gender mainstreaming with social development strategies.  What are the primary roles of the Vietnam Women’s Union?  How are people’s perspectives changed about gender equality? The meeting closed at 11:00 am in a friendly and sharing atmosphere among GWG members.

Source: GENDER AND SOCIETY RESEARCH CENTER