Australia assists Vietnam in fostering gender equality
From 1-2 November, 39 participants of the Australia Awards Short Course on Project implementation to optimise gender outcomes convened in Hanoi to share how they are applying their newly gained knowledge and skills to mainstream gender equality in their workplaces.
With support from the Australian Government through the Aus4Skills program, officials from 17 Vietnamese government agencies working in the transport sector and on economic reform issues participated in the training course. The course focused on sharing Australian experience in empowering women in the workplace and promotion of gender equality in work and life .
“The course has helped me realise the importance of gender equality in the transport sector. My colleagues and I will mainstream gender equality into the planning and implementation of transport infrastructure including feasibility study, design, community consultation, land clearance and construction to ensure that transport infrastructure benefits both men and women,” said Nguyen Van Tai, Specialist of the Project Management Unit 2, Ministry of Transport.
"The course helped me think about women’s economic empowerment and how we can develop a sound legal framework, including the Enterprise Law and Investment Law in 2019, to create an enabling environment for women-owned startups,” said Phan Minh Thuy, Domestic Law Development Section, Legal Department, Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Australia is committed to ensuring that women substantively benefit from all Aus4Vietnam aid investments, irrespective of their sector. The 39 mid-level managers, both men and women, are the champions for change in promoting gender equality initiatives in their organisations so that no woman is left behind.
“Australia is strongly committed to advancing gender equality, though we have a long journey ahead of us. Through our work in Vietnam, we learn as much as we teach on gender equality, and this symposium has helped on both counts. We are working with highly committed professionals in the transport and reform sectors who are thinking critically about gender challenges. I’m optimistic we can achieve much together for the benefit of Vietnam and Australia,” said Chargé d’Affaires Rebecca Bryant, from the Australian Embassy in Vietnam.
This training course is part of a series of activities offered by Aus4Vietnam, an Australian aid investment in Vietnam and was delivered by the Queensland University of Technology (QUT). More support from the Australian Government on promoting women’s economic empowerment in Vietnam can be found here: https://bit.ly/2AvZ8ws