The third ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Women (AMMW) and related meetings will take place in Hanoi on October 18-25, Deputy Minister of Labour, Invalids, and Social Affairs Nguyen Thi Ha told a press conference on October 15.

Deputy Minister of Labour, Invalids, and Social Affairs Nguyen Thi Ha at the press conference 

The opening ceremony will be held on October 25 with the participation of nearly 150 delegates. Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc will deliver a keynote speech at the event. 

Ha said the event aims to foster cooperation in ensuring gender equality and increasing female empowerment in the region.

Themed “Social Security for Women and Girls Towards ASEAN’s 2025 Vision”, ministers at the event will discuss regional and global measures to ensure social welfare for women and girls towards realising the ASEAN declaration on enhancing social security. 

The event is due to issue a joint statement for submittal to the 33rd ASEAN Summit scheduled for later this year. 

Before the third AMMW, the 17th meeting of ASEAN Committee on Women (ACW) and the meeting of the ACW 3 with China, Japan, and the Republic of Korea will also be held. 

Conferences and dialogues of the ASEAN Commission on the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Women and Children, as well as those between ACW, the European Union, and partners, on enhancing economic empowerment and raising public awareness of gender inequality in communications are also planned for. 

The third AMMW takes place in the context that further attention is paid to delivering commitments and priorities regarding social welfare, women, and gender equality. 

Due to shortcomings in relevant policies, women still find it hard to access social welfare services. The rate of women working in the informal sector remains high, while they continue to receive a much lower wage than men. 

Vietnam has proposed initiatives to improve women’s status, including forming a network of ASEAN female entrepreneurs.

VNA