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ADVANCING WOMEN’S LEADERSHIP IN VIETNAM

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he Asia Foundation supports the efforts of Vietnamese organizations to increase women’s representation in governing bodies and to educate women about their legal rights, as they are stipulated in Vietnamese law. By working with committed local partners, the Foundation is able to employ sophisticated, culturally sensitive implementation methods and to contribute directly to building the capacity of organizations run by women, employing women, and dedicated to enhancing women’s lives.

In 1980, Vietnam signed the UN Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), and Vietnam’s official government policies and laws regarding women and women’s rights are unusually progressive. Through its own National Plan of Action for the Advancement of Women in Vietnam by the Year 2000, Vietnam has prioritized protecting and ensuring broad understanding of women’s legal rights across all social strata. However, there is a gap between actual laws and public understanding of the law. Moreover, while women currently make up a quarter of the representatives in the National Assembly—the country’s highest legislative body—and 12 percent of the heads of national ministries, the proportion of women in leadership positions at lower levels of government is not as high. To help Vietnam address these challenges, and to advance women’s leadership and understanding of their rights under Vietnamese law, The Asia Foundation has partnered with the Vietnam Women’s Union (VWU) since 1994 and with the Center for Education Promotion and Empowerment for Women (CEPEW) since 1998.

HIGHLIGHTS

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F O U N D AT I O N P R O G R A M S

official from the VWU recognized that increasing the number of women in official leadership positions is a key to pursuing the VWU’s goals of gender equity and of promoting women’s interests and rights. The Foundation responded to VWU’s...