(VOVWORLD) - A special session on women’s empowerment in the digital age opened on Friday as part of the ongoing ASEAN Summit. The event initiated by Vietnam aims to promote gender equality and female role in building an ASEAN Community.
 Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan attend a special session on women’s empowerment in the digital age on June 26 as part of the ASEAN Summit. (Photo: Trong Duc) |
In his address at the special session, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc called for ASEAN countries’ actions to unlock women’s potential and enable them to contribute to national development and to ASEAN Community in the current digital era. He said, "The Fourth Industrial Revolution has opened up enormous opportunities for humanity and given women great powers, helping them to unleash their potential, overcome current barriers and challenges and make the necessary change for the future. The ASEAN Community has affirmed its goal of building a Community, where "Everyone has equal access to opportunities and women's rights are promoted and protected". As Chair of ASEAN for 2020, Vietnam prioritizes the synchronous implementation of commitments, programs, and plans, integrates mechanisms on women, and realizes the ASEAN Community towards people and putting people at the center.”
National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan said that this special session shows ASEAN’s high level of commitment to gender equality and women’s empowerment. She delivered 5 recommendations to ASEAN and its partners’ governments: fine-tuning policies and laws, empowering women, promoting their positions, facilitating all women and girls to access and benefit from opportunities brought by technology and international integration, and strengthening female participation and opportunities for women’s development:
Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan added, “Leaders of ASEAN governments continue to be role models, demonstrating their personal and political role, leading and setting examples for their genuine care for women, girls and gender equality for all citizens, and social communities in the region and around the globe. On behalf of the National Assembly of Vietnam and Vietnamese women, we wish the ASEAN governments success in this important work and confirm that we will always accompany, share, and take responsibility for this matter.”