Hanoi (VNA) – The ASEAN Leaders' SpecialSession on Women’s Empowerment in the Digital Age offered a chance for ASEANleaders to show their strong commitment to gender equality and women’sempowerment in the digital age, delegates said on the sidelines of the event,which took place on June 𒉰26 as part of the 36th ASEAN Summit.

Ambassador Nguyen Nguyet Nga, Senior Advisor to the ASEAN2020 National Secretariat and Vietnam’s representative at the ASEAN Women forPeace Registry (AWPR) said this was ASEAN leaders’ first meeting of highestlevel regarding gender equality in the region. It is time for ASEAN members to discuss measures to carryout the ASEAN Community Vision 2025 amid the digital age and the impact ofCOVID-19, thereby determining new challenges and chances to implementinternational commitments, she added. The session reflected the determination and clear message ofVietnam and other ASEAN nations in promoting multilateral cooperation in genderequality, Nga said.

Vietnam is playing an active role and a pioneer in genderequality, especially in policies and policy framework, as it is among maintargets in the country’s socio-economic development, she said.

Head of the National Assembly (NA)’s Committee for Social Affairs Nguyen ThuyAnh said the session offered an oppo🉐rtunit🌱y to assess achievements in genderequality and women’s empowerment in the digital age.

For Vietnam, this is the last year of the implementation ofthe National Strategy on Gender Equality for the 2011-20. The country has reaped fruitful results in meeting itsannual targets. In particular, the proportions of female NA deputies, leadersand entrepreneurs have been on the rise, she noted./.