Region:Asia Pacific
Current UN Women Plan Period Afghanisthan:2018-2022
World Bank Income Classification:Low Income
The World Bank classifies economies for analytical purposes into four income groups: low, lower-middle, upper-middle, and high income. For this purpose it uses gross national income (GNI) per capita data in U.S. dollars, converted from local currency using the World Bank Atlas method, which is applied to smooth exchange rate fluctuations.
Least Developed Country:Yes
Since 1971, the United Nations has recognized LDCs as a category of States that are deemed highly disadvantaged in their development process, for structural, historical and also geographical reasons. Three criteria are used: per capita income, human assets, and economic vulnerability.
Gender Inequality Index:0.575
GII is a composite metric of gender inequality using three dimensions: reproductive health, empowerment and the labour market. A low GII value indicates low inequality between women and men, and vice-versa.
Gender Development Index:0.723
GDI measures gender inequalities in achievement in three basic dimensions of human development: health, education, and command over economic resources.
Population:209,497,025
Source of population data: United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2022). World Population Prospects: The 2022 Revision
Male:19,976,265 (9.5%)
Female:189,520,760 (90.5%)
outcome XM-DAC-41146-VNM_D_1.1
SN Outcome 1 [CF Outcome 2] Climate Change Response, Disaster Resilience and Environmental Sustainability By 2026, people in Viet Nam, especially those at risk of being left behind, will benefit from and contribute to safer and cleaner environment resulting from Viet Nam’s effective and gender responsive mitigation and adaptation to climate change, disaster risk reduction and resilience building, promotion of circular economy, the provision of clean and renewable energy, and the sustainable management of natural resources.
During 2023, in collaboration with UNDP and GIZ, UN Women provided technical support and joint advocacy for the improvements of legal and institutional environment to effectively addressing the vulnerabilities that women and girls in facing the risks of climate change and disasters in Viet Nam. In particular , in 2023, the government adopted language in its resource m obilization plan ( RMP) for the Just Energy Transition Partnership that commits to designing a “just” energy transition RMP creating of which wherein gender considerations are taken into account , , a gender equality minimum standard of practices established, fair job opportunities and introducing effective social protection measures for those groups most disadvantaged in the energy transition process. This commitment has significant implications for enabling a special social protection scheme for the affected communities, including women and girls, counting them as actors and drivers of sustainable development [1] https://en.baochinhphu.vn/full-remarks-by-pm-pham-minh-chinh-at-cop26-11142627.htm for a “just” energy transition process to ensure that no one is left behind . The RMP was launched during COP 2 8 . In November 2023 at COP 28, the government announced the Resource Mobilization Plan (RMP) of US$15.5 billion made up of public and private funding for implementing the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP). The RMP has one chapter on the opportunities and challenges of the ‘just’ transition, presenting risks for employment and reskilling for workers in energy sectors, risks for income, livelihoods and social assistance of the most vulnerable groups, and risks of access to affordable electricity for low-income groups among others. The chapter highlighted the differential impact on women, men and disadvantaged groups in the transition process. Ensuring a “just” transition is one among eight priority areas under the RMP. Seven projects related to employment and reskilling, impact assessment on vulnerable groups, and the development of a mechanism to ensure affordable electricity prices for low-income households and MSMEs are identified. UN Women has worked closely with other UN agencies including UNDP- the Secretariat for the JETP , UNEP and ILO- an agency on social protection within the UNCT to ensure the strategic engagement in high level policy dialogues and discussion with MONRE and MOLISA to promote gender sensitive JETP which corresponds with RMP. Early engagement with government actors and UN agencies efforts has contributed to fostering the government’s recognition of the opportunities and challenges women and other marginalized groups are facing in the energy transition process toward a just and sustainable outcome.In addition, guidelines on mainstreaming gender and GBV issues into the DRR plans at local levels have been developed, with technical support from UN Women, in collaboration with Viet Nam Disaster and Dyke Management Authority and the Disaster Management Policy and Technology Center (DMPTC). The guidelines was approved by the government which can be considered as a significant milestone for addressing gender issues in the context of National Strategy on Natural Disaster Prevention and Control through 2030 with a vision toward 2050. This guidelines aims to equip local DRR planners with a practical tool to systematically analyze, prioritize and mainstream gender and GBV issues in DRR plans at commune, district, and provincial level, taking into account the local context. The guidelines were officially launched and piloted in Lao Cai province and Da Nang city. With UN Women’s support in facilitating the application of the guidelines, a provincial DRR plan was developed based on rigorous analysis of the climate vulnerability situation through a gender lens and GBV issues in each province as well as extensive consultation with relevant stakeholders. As a result of this evidence-based decision-making process, the plan has been significantly improved with the incorporation of gender analysis and concrete measures to protect women and other vulnerable groups such as ensuring safe evaluation for women and children in the context of natural disasters. The proactive engagement of VNDDMA, provincial DRR authorities, and other stakeholders has set a crucial foundation for expanding the gender and GBV mainstreaming in DRR plans on a wider scale in the upcoming years.
outcome XM-DAC-41146-VNM_D_2.1
SN Outcome 2 (CF Outcome 3). Shared Prosperity through Economic Transformation By 2026, people in Viet Nam, especially those at risk of being left behind, will contribute to and benefit equitably from more sustainable, inclusive and gender-responsive economic transformation based on innovation, entrepreneurship, enhanced productivity, competitiveness, and decent work.
The outcome 2 “Shared prosperity through economic transformation” was on track in the reporting year , focusing on women’s entrepreneurship development policies and sustainable resilient livelihoods. Two notable policies linked to support women-owned small and medium enterprises (WSMEs) adopted in 2023 as a result of UN Women’s contribution of supports for the past three years for this legislation by generating evidence and advocating with law makers. The Ministry of Finance adopted the Circular 52/2023/TT-BTC [1] on 8 August 2023 to guide the mechanism to use the State Budget for provisions in the Government Decree 80/2021/NÐ-CP that regulates supporting policies for SMEs [2] . This new Circular means that women-owned SMEs, SMEs employing many female workers and social enterprises have more opportunities to benefit from supporting policies using the State Budget because the Decree 80/2021/NÐ-CP regulates specific preferential provisions on technical advisory support and human resource development support for women-owned SMEs, SMEs employing many female workers, and social enterprises and the principle that these enterprises shall remain a priority for all types of support. Following the Government Decree 80/2021/NÐ-CP , the Circular 06/2022/TT-BKHDT [3] and the Circular 52/2023/TT-BTC, on 17 August 2023, the Ha Noi People’s Committee Office adopted the Decision No. 4120/QD-UBND - Supporting human resource development training for small and medium-sized enterprises owned by women (WSMEs) and SMEs that employ a lot of female workers in Hanoi city 2023-2025 [4] . Target groups to be supported are WSMEs and SMEs that employ many female workers, agencies and organizations supporting SMEs; female entrepreneurs Associations and Clubs in Hanoi city. The support includes training courses on business start-up (1,500 participants), business administration (3,000 participants), advance business management with in-depth knowledge for CEOs (1,000 participants), technical training (training topics to be assessed and decided) at manufacturing and processing enterprises in craft villages (230 SMEs x 15 participants/SMEs = 3,450 participants). Budget for carrying out this Plan is all from the State budget. Ha Noi Department of Planning and Investment is leading and implementing the Plan. This year, UN Women has contributed to this process by engaging related policy makers of Ministry, Departments of Planning and Investment and Ministry of Finance in a number of (i) field missions to facilitate and attend technical focus group discussions and consultation with related provincial authorities, women entrepreneur associations and women-owned SMEs on supporting policies for women owned businesses and (ii) workshops on strengthening capacity and competitiveness of women owned businesses for better access to the market and supply chains; (iii) training workshops on better access to the market through supplier diversity and gender responsive procurement. In addition to policy advocacy, in 2023, 1,443 vulnerable women living in rural areas in Tien Giang province strengthened their economic resilience and recovery from the impact of COVID-19 with financial and technical support from UN Women. These are women with disabilities, women heading households, pregnant women, and women with children under 2 years old, women over 60 years old, victims of violence, women with HIV or chronic illnesses, ethnic minority women, and female migrant workers. The livelihoods of 1,443 poor, near poor and vulnerable households have been rebuilt up using received financial support of 5,500,000 VND (200 USD) and technical knowledge of husbandry/cultivation techniques, small business start-up models and household economic planning and management. Moreover, while this support is to empower women in the household and the community, it advanced their capacity and confidence to step up income generation activities in their home, which contributed to changes in social norms in the community on women’s role and capacity in economic development. Additionally, innovative communication media including radio broadcasting on livelihood good practices, and GBV knowledge dissemination coverage was also implemented to raise public awareness on gender-based discrimination and violence, particularly exacerbated by the challenges posed by COVID-19 as one of VCO’s efforts to influence social norms and address the impact of gender-based discrimination and violence. Through the collaboration with the provincial Women’s Unions of Tien Giang and Ho Chi Minh City, two government agencies have increased capacity/knowledge in assisting women micro owned enterprises with UN Women’s support, to assist women-owned enterprises, women-led cooperatives to develop, implement and adopt resilient livelihood and business models. The achievement of this Outcome in 2023 has contributed to more sustainable, inclusive and gender-responsive economic transformation based on women’s entrepreneurship development policies, sustainable resilient livelihoods, and financing for gender equality which contributes to achieving the aims of SDG 5, 8 and SDG 10. [1] https://vanban.chinhphu.vn/?pageid=27160&docid=208469 [2] The Government Decree 80/2021/NÐ-CP regulates supporting policies for SMEs in which there are (i) specific preferential provisions on technical advisory support and human resource development support for women-owned SMEs, SMEs employing many female workers and are social enterprises; (ii) principal that women-owned SMEs, SMEs employing many female workers, and social enterprises shall be prioritized for all other types of support. [3] The Circular 06/2022/TT-BKHDT was adopted by the Ministry of Planning and Investment to guide some provisions of the Government Decree 80/2021/NÐ-CP on supporting policies for SMEs [4] The Decision No. 4120/QD-UBND supports WSMEs and SMEs that employ many female workers, agencies and organizations supporting SMEs; female entrepreneurs Associations and Clubs in Hanoi city including training courses on business start-up (1,500 participants), business administration (3,000 participants), advance business management with in-depth knowledge for CEOs (1,000 participants), technical training (training topics to be assessed and decided) at manufacturing and processing enterprises in craft villages (230 SMEs x 15 participants/SMEs = 3,450 participants). Budget for carrying out this Plan comes exclusively from the State budget. Ha Noi Department of Planning and Investment is leading and implementing the Plan.
outcome XM-DAC-41146-VNM_D_3.1
SN Outcome 3 (CF Outcome 4) Governance and Access to Justice By 2026, people in Viet Nam, especially those at risk of being left behind, will have benefited from and have contributed to a more just, safe and inclusive society based on improved governance, more responsive institutions, strengthened rule of law and the protection of and respect for human rights, gender equality, and freedom from all forms of violence and discrimination in line with international standards.
In 2023, UN Women Viet Nam Country Office made a substantial progress on the outcome 4 on improving governance and access to justice for women and girls in Viet Nam, through its technical support and advocacy to government ministries for the development of important legislations and policies including Viet Nam’s first National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security (NAP-WPS), the Social Insurance Law amendment and the Gender Affirmation Law. These efforts collectively foster a more just, safe, and inclusive society in Vietnam, adhering to international standards of human rights, gender equality, and freedom from violence and discrimination, as outlined in SDG5, SDG8 and SDG16. The accomplishments signify a comprehensive approach that not only safeguards the rights of marginalized individuals but actively involves them in contributing to and benefiting from a transformed societal landscape and to become more resilience in time of crisis”. Specifically, the first important undertaking was the development of Viet Nam's first National Action Plan on Women, Peace, and Security (WPS), submitted to the Prime Minister on December 31, 2023, with the anticipation that the NAP is approved in the first quarter of 2024. This contribution stems from extensive technical support provided by UN Women to the government drafting committee led by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It includes study visits, policy analysis, stakeholder consultations, and high-level policy advocacy for the development of the NAP WPS. This strategic initiative directly aligns with UN Women Viet Nam's goal of fostering a conducive environment for gender equality by addressing systemic issues related to peace and security. Utilizing the four pillars of the WPS Agenda (participation, prevention, protection, relief, and recovery), the NAP aims to fortify state and provincial capacities to implement the WPS Agenda and NAP, as well as coordination, institutional frameworks, and legal mechanisms improvement. Secondly, UN Women, alongside ILO, Thrive and Alive, and Oxfam, successfully advocated for a more gender-responsive Social Insurance Law in Vietnam, submitted to the National Assembly in October 2023, focusing on expanding maternity benefits within the voluntary social insurance scheme, marking a significant milestone. This effort led to the introduction of maternity cash support, a groundbreaking inclusion in the voluntary social insurance scheme through the incorporation of a provision of maternity cash benefit of 2,000,000 VND per woman per delivery. This important amendment is anticipated to receive National Assembly approval in May 2024, benefiting especially women in informal sectors who previously lacked such support during maternity. In collaboration with other UN agencies, UN Women had played the central role in advocating for the development of Vietnam's first Gender Affirmation Law (GAL) in 2023. Drafted by the Ministry of Health in 2022, submitted by NA Deputy to the NA in 2023, the GAL has been included in NA legislation agenda 2024-2025. The GAL addresses legal gender recognition and access to health services related to gender affirmation. The draft law is crucial for protecting the rights of individuals seeking to change their legal gender markers. The GAL is anticipated to be discussed by National Assembly deputies in the 8th session (October 2024) and be approved in the 9th session (May 2025), signaling a meaningful change for trans people in Vietnam. In collaboration with MOLISA, VWU, CWD and local authorities of HCMC, Da Nang, and Dien Bien, UN Women facilitated the adoption and implementation of multi-sectoral coordination strategies and victim center approaches to enhance the quality of and access to essential services for women including women migrant workers subject to gender-based violence. This effort is very important to Viet Nam where two third of women have experienced at least one form of violence and nearly 90% of them have never sought help from a service provider. In conjunction with various stakeholders including UN Agencies such as UNFPA, UNICEF, ILO, UNODC and IOM, UN Women played a significant role in advancing legal frameworks to combat Gender-Based Violence (GBV) in Viet Nam. UN Women contributed to the decree 76/2023/ND-CP that guides the implementation of some articles of the Law on Domestic Violence Prevention and Control 2022. This decree was effective from 1 November 2023 is crucial in providing adequate protection and support for women experiencing domestic violence in Viet Nam. Additionally, UN Women supported the implementation of national strategies such as the National Strategy on Gender Equality 2021-2030, National Programme on Communication about Gender Equality until 2030, National Programme on GBV Prevention and Response 2021-2025, National Programme on Domestic Violence Prevention and Control in the New Contexts until 2025, National Programme on Human Trafficking Prevention and Control, and decisions at the provincial levels of Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City. These efforts collectively contributed to a strengthened legal framework and a more comprehensive approach to combating GBV in Viet Nam. Additionally, with UN Women technical suppport, the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for coordinated services were developed together with GED-MOLISA, Ministry of Public Security, Viet Nam Women’s Union with the aim to shift from siloed approaches to more coordinated efforts in dealing with GBV/ domestic and overseas human trafficking cases. The Quito Declaration – the global commitment to accelerate action on safe cities and safe public spaces with and for women and girls were adopted by Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City’s People’s Committee along with nearly 60 cities worldwide – showcasing the active engagement of the two intervened location of VCO in the global agenda. Besides, UN Women's role in supporting UN accountability for commitments on GEWE was marked by several achievements. The development of a screening tool for mainstreaming gender equality and women’s empowerment in UN Joint Programmes in Viet Nam is a significant milestone. This tool, accompanied by guidelines and training to 20 UN staff ensures the visible integration of GEWE in the UN Joint Programmes, contributing to UNCT's enhanced performance in UNCT-SWAP. With t he achievements above, life of selected groups of women and girls in different diversities in Viet Nam especially those in VCO’s intervened locations shall have been improved with enhanced social, institutional and legal environment on GEWE, strengthened capacities of state and nonstate actors to facilitate the transformation of social norms, practices and actions towards a society free of gender-based discrimination and violence, and more coordinated UN system’s accountability in GEWE. The TOC of this outcome in VCO’s strategic note 2022-2026 therefore remains valid and relevant to the country context. The achievements of UN Women Viet Nam Country Office in 2023 offer crucial lessons for future interventions in gender equality and women's empowerment and emphasize the significance of inclusivity, collaboration, innovation, and international engagement, providing a roadmap for future interventions to achieve tangible and sustainable results in the pursuit of gender equality and women empowerment.Showing 1 - 3 of 3
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