'Promise' of women for peace

During his visit to Vietnam, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, once assessed that: "The more female peacekeepers there are, the more peace there is." According to him, the efforts of Vietnamese female peacekeepers have contributed to those precious words, "peace."

Female military engineers bid farewell to their families and loved ones before departing at Noi Bai International Airport. (Source: VNA)

In recent years, the movement for women's rights and gender equality has made significant progress, including the achievements of the UN Agenda for Women, Peace and Security (PNHBAN).

Throughout its history, Vietnam has had many experiences related to the theme of women's role in maintaining international peace and security, with the image of women being "heroic, indomitable, loyal, and capable." This has motivated Vietnam to develop initiatives and prioritize the promotion of women's role in maintaining international peace and security.

Step-by-step institutionalization and implementation

The PNHBAN agenda was born on the basis of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 (2000) with two objectives: to better ensure the rights of women and girls and to promote women's participation in all stages of the conflict resolution and peacebuilding process.

To date, the Security Council has adopted nine resolutions emphasizing the importance of women's participation in crisis resolution, post-crisis reconstruction, and the prevention and protection of women against sexual violence. The issue of PNHBAN (Prevention, Control, and Disability of Women) has also been promoted in many other UN mechanisms.

After more than 20 years of institutionalizing the issue of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) within international and regional frameworks, the current global trend focuses on implementation and promoting the deployment of commitments to translate them into tangible results. In particular, since 2005, the National Action Program on NGOs has been a crucial mechanism and a domestic policy framework. While not legally binding, it reflects policy commitments and outlines action plans for the nation to implement the pillars of the NGO Agenda, in accordance with the development context and needs of each country.

In joint efforts on the PNHBAN agenda, Vietnam made a significant mark by leading the Security Council's adoption of Resolution 1889 (2009) on the role of women and girls in post-conflict contexts - considered one of the four pillar resolutions of the Security Council's PNHBAN agenda.

More than a decade later, in 2020, in Hanoi , Vietnam successfully hosted the International Conference commemorating the 20th anniversary of the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1325, the only global event in the anniversary year, and simultaneously adopted the Hanoi Action Commitment, co-sponsored by 75 countries, calling on countries to develop national action programs on PNHBAN.

In an interview with TG&VN , Caroline T. Nyamayemombe, Head of UN Women in Vietnam, stated that Vietnam's approval of the National Action Program on Gender Equality is a milestone demonstrating recognition of the important role of women in achieving sustainable peace, and affirming Vietnam's unwavering commitment to promoting gender equality globally.

Important milestones

In particular, on January 26th, following the development of the National Action Program on Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang signed Decision No. 101/QD-TTg approving the National Action Program on NGOs for the period 2024-2030.

The overall objective of the Program is to ensure and further promote gender equality; to enhance the role, status, voice, rights, obligations, and responsibilities of women in participating in peace and security fields, contributing to maintaining peace, stability, and sustainable development at the national and international levels.

The specific objectives of the Program by 2030 are to enhance the full, equal, and meaningful participation of Vietnamese women in the fields of politics, foreign affairs, defense, security, and addressing and responding to national non-traditional security challenges, as well as in international peacekeeping and security; to better prevent and respond to gender-based violence in the context of incidents, disasters, and responses to non-traditional security challenges; to strengthen gender mainstreaming in relief and recovery activities, including post-war remediation, prevention, response, and handling of incidents, disasters, and non-traditional security challenges; and to enhance international cooperation in the field of non-traditional security and disaster response.

It can be affirmed that Vietnam's National Action Program on Gender Equality has contributed to further refining the Party and State's policies on gender equality; reaffirming Vietnam's strong commitment to the Gender Equality Agenda, creating synergy for the international community's joint efforts to promote this Agenda. Assessing the significance of the Program, the Head of UN Women in Vietnam, Caroline T. Nyamayemombe, once emphasized: “Remember that we are not just shaping a document, but shaping the future of Vietnamese women and girls, as well as the peace and security of your country.”

National consultation workshop on the draft National Action Program on Women, Peace and Security, November 6, 2023, in Hanoi. (Photo: Tuan Viet)

A living testament

Surely, the "female bomb disposal experts" in Quang Tri or the "blue roses" of Vietnam's UN peacekeeping forces are the most vivid practical examples of Vietnam's peacekeeping efforts, clearly demonstrating the participation of women in resolving international peace and security issues.

In January 2018, Vietnam sent its first female military officer to participate in UN peacekeeping operations as an individual, serving as a staff officer in the South Sudan Mission. As of May 2023, 81 out of a total of 529 military personnel deployed to UN peacekeeping missions are women, including 12 female officers deployed individually, 21 female soldiers in the 1st Engineering Brigade, and 48 female soldiers in Vietnam's Level 2 Field Hospitals.

At the International Conference on Women in UN Peacekeeping Operations in Hanoi (November 26, 2022), UN Deputy Secretary-General Jean-Pierre Lacroix emphasized: “Vietnam has become one of the leading countries in efforts to increase women’s participation in UN peacekeeping operations.”

Heartwarming stories of Vietnamese female soldiers helping local people grow vegetables, care for children, teach young children, provide free medical care, build roads to schools, combat flooding, construct schools, sew and donate face masks to prevent Covid-19, cook pho and other Vietnamese dishes... spread the image of "Uncle Ho's soldiers" and Vietnamese women in the eyes of their colleagues at peacekeeping missions and local people.

Vietnam is one of the first countries to sign and ratify the Convention Against All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and actively participates in multilateral forums on gender equality with many concrete initiatives. Vietnam currently also has a high percentage of female soldiers participating in UN peacekeeping operations, reaching 16%, significantly higher than the UN average of 4%.

In Vietnam, over the years, in the sun-drenched central region of Quang Tri, many people have become familiar with the image of the "female bomb disposal experts" – members of NPA, an acronym for the Norwegian People's Aid and RENEW Project, whose mission is to address the long-term consequences of unexploded ordnance and landmines left over from the war. NPA currently has approximately 300 personnel working in Quang Tri. Notably, among them are two teams composed entirely of women: the Field Clearance Team (15 members) and the Mobile Bomb Disposal Team (six members).

“The establishment of Vietnam’s first two all-female demining and mine disposal teams is part of an effort to affirm the role of women in NPA’s Mine Action; thereby inspiring and demonstrating that women are a strong and capable force in mine clearance operations,” shared Jan Erik Stoa, NPA Country Director in Vietnam.

Thus, the role of women in maintaining international peace and security is of great importance. Not only is Vietnam deeply aware of this role, but it has also been making every effort to promote the role of women in peace and security, thereby contributing to ensuring global gender equality.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/loi-hua-phu-nu-vi-hoa-binh-263253.html