The longstanding partnership between the Vietnam Women’s Union (VWU) and UN Women is being further strengthened, with new directions for cooperation on gender equality and women’s economic empowerment.
During a working visit to Geneva, Switzerland, a delegation from the Vietnam Women’s Union and Tinh Thuong Microfinance Institution (TYM), led by Ms. Tran Lan Phuong, Standing Vice President of the VWU and a member of the 16th National Assembly, met with Ms. Sofia Calltorp, Director of the UN Women Geneva Office, to discuss priorities and opportunities for cooperation in the next phase.
At the meeting, Ms. Tran Lan Phuong affirmed that the Party and State of Viet Nam have consistently attached importance to advancing gender equality and supporting women and children, while creating conditions for women to realize their potential, strengthen their economic empowerment and participate more actively in the country’s development. This commitment has been translated into a range of policies and practical programmes. Among them, the Project “Supporting Women’s Entrepreneurship for the 2026–2035 Period”, approved by the Prime Minister and assigned to the VWU for implementation, is expected to create further opportunities for women to develop their livelihoods and businesses, start enterprises and strengthen their capacities.
Ms. Tran Lan Phuong emphasized that, in its role of representing, supporting and accompanying women, the VWU has continued to receive strong support and enabling conditions to fulfil its role in women’s affairs and gender equality. The Union places particular emphasis on connecting policies and resources with women’s practical needs, especially those of groups that still face significant barriers to development opportunities. Women’s economic empowerment therefore requires a comprehensive approach that goes beyond access to finance to include knowledge, skills, technology, markets and other resources needed for sustainable development.
In this area, TYM is one of the VWU’s practical models for advancing financial inclusion and women’s economic empowerment, combining financial services with capacity building and livelihood support, particularly for low-income women and groups with limited access to financial services.
UN Women representatives highly appreciated Viet Nam’s achievements in advancing gender equality and women’s progress, as well as the VWU’s role and results in supporting women. UN Women also shared its strategic priorities for the new period, including transforming care systems, promoting access to decent work, advancing digital transformation and strengthening women’s empowerment. These priorities align in many respects with the priorities and activities of the VWU and TYM, providing a basis for further discussions on suitable areas of cooperation.
Building on a partnership developed over many years, the VWU and UN Women will continue to strengthen exchanges and coordination to translate potential areas of cooperation into concrete activities in the next phase, while also exploring appropriate ways for TYM to participate in initiatives that advance women’s economic empowerment.
