Vice Chairman of the Committee for Culture and Society Dinh Cong Sy received Australia's Global Ambassador for Gender Equality Michelle O'Byrne

Vice Chairman of the Committee for Culture and Social Affairs Dinh Cong Sy welcomed Ms. Michelle O'Byrne to visit and work with agencies of the Vietnamese National Assembly ; emphasizing the significance of the visit as it took place right during the Month of Action for Gender Equality and Prevention and Response to Gender-Based Violence in Vietnam (November 15 - December 15).

Appreciating Vietnam's efforts and achievements in the field of gender equality, Ambassador Michelle O'Byrne said that the Australian Government has announced the International Gender Equality Strategy, continuing to affirm its pioneering role in promoting the rights of women, girls and vulnerable groups.

Vice Chairman of the Committee for Culture and Social Affairs Dinh Cong Sy spoke at the reception.

Australia's leadership in promoting the rights of women and girls is greatly aided by the high proportion of female parliamentarians in national and local parliaments. Female parliamentarians have contributed to the promulgation and implementation of many policies to ensure gender equality. Emphasizing this, Ms. Michelle O'Byrne wished to share Vietnam's legislative experience, especially in ensuring gender equality in laws enacted by the National Assembly.

The Vice Chairman of the Committee for Culture and Society affirmed that promoting gender equality, empowering women, and enhancing the role and status of women have always been issues of concern to the Vietnamese National Assembly, especially in the process of perfecting the legal framework and national policies. Since the beginning of the 15th National Assembly term, 44 laws have been reviewed to integrate gender equality issues, including many important contents contributing to promoting equality and empowering women.

Australia's Global Ambassador for Gender Equality Michelle O'Byrne speaks at the reception

The provisions of laws and resolutions issued by the National Assembly of Vietnam have ensured the principle of gender equality, contributing to promoting women's empowerment in all fields. In particular, the Law on Promulgation of Legal Documents has required that draft laws and resolutions must include a report on gender mainstreaming.

Deputy Chairman Dinh Cong Sy welcomed Australia's support for Vietnam in achieving common goals; wished to continue receiving international experience sharing and comparison of Australian laws to serve the amendment of the Law on Gender Equality in the coming time; and at the same time requested support to make the online training program a mandatory or regular course on the National Assembly's digital platform, expanding skills in gender-responsive budget supervision.

Vice Chairman of the Committee for Culture and Society Dinh Cong Sy presents a gift to Australia's Global Ambassador for Gender Equality Michelle O'Byrne

Based on the reality of parliamentary activities in Australia, Ms. Michelle O'Byrne believes that the biggest challenge today is narrowing the gap between awareness and action in society, requiring comprehensive solutions. She proposed increasing women's participation in leadership; ending violence against women; closely monitoring law enforcement; allocating appropriate budgets for gender activities; focusing on education and communication to change gender stereotypes right from preschool age.

Vice Chairman of the Committee on Culture and Society Dinh Cong Sy, Australia's Global Ambassador for Gender Equality Michelle O'Byrne and delegates take a souvenir photo

Ms. Michelle O'Byrne also said that from next week, Australia will begin to prohibit children under 16 from registering for social networking accounts (Facebook, Snapchat...). This is an important step to protect and nurture young children - a top priority for Australia.

Agreeing with these proposals, Vice Chairman of the Committee Dinh Cong Sy said that during the 15th term of the National Assembly of Vietnam, the proportion of female National Assembly deputies has increased, the quality has been significantly improved; female National Assembly deputies are well-trained, highly qualified and are experts in many fields. Currently, all levels and sectors of Vietnam are preparing for the election of National Assembly deputies and People's Council deputies of the new term, in which the policy of priority and attention to female candidates, including representatives of different ethnic groups and classes, is still consistent.

The Vice Chairman of the Committee for Culture and Society believes that with the support of the Government and the Australian Embassy, Vietnam will continue to make important progress in promoting gender equality and women's empowerment.

Source: https://daibieunhandan.vn/pho-chu-nhiem-uy-ban-van-hoa-va-xa-hoi-dinh-cong-sy-tiep-dai-su-toan-cau-ve-binh-dang-gioi-cua-australia-michelle-o-byrne-10399411.html