UN Women and Vietnam Women’s Union to step up cooperation on women’s digital transformation

At the meeting, member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Viet Nam, Vice President of the Central Committee of the Viet Nam's Fatherland Front and President of VWU Lê Thị Thủy spoke highly of the support and cooperation provided by the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) to Viet Nam, including the Vietnam Women's Union and Vietnamese women, in recent years.

Cooperation activities have focused on ending violence against women, enhancing women's economic empowerment, reducing disaster risks and promoting gender-responsive climate adaptation, as well as policy consultation and advocacy coordination. These joint efforts have left a strong imprint on bilateral relations and generated positive social impact.

The partnership between VWU and UN Women has continued to deepen through joint organisation of events such as the National Press Awards on Gender Equality, as well as projects on climate change response, strengthening the legal framework and improving the operational capacity of the "Peaceful House" shelter system supporting victims of gender-based violence.

In the first months of 2026, the partnership has delivered practical results, with UN Women supporting VWU representatives to attend key global forums, including the 92nd session of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) in Switzerland in February 2026 and the preparatory meeting for the 70th session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW70) in Thailand in January 2026. The two sides have actively shared experience through workshops, roundtables and high-level gender policy coordination meetings.

Providing updates on VWU activities, President Lê Thị Thủy said that in 2026, the Union is focusing on the theme of "Innovation, creativity, and concretising the implementation of the Party National Congress and multiple levels of the Women's Congress resolutions into practice", in line with the socio-economic development strategy for 2026–2030. The Union is also preparing to successfully organise the 14th National Women's Congress (2026–2031) in June 2026, a major political event to review the implementation of the 13th Party Congress Resolution and set strategic directions for the women's movement in the country's new development phase. Later in the year, the Union will host 10 delegations of women from ASEAN countries and organise the General Assembly of the ASEAN Confederation of Women's Organisations (ACWO).

A key task for 2026 is to accelerate digital transformation, implement Government projects and national target programmes, and proactively deepen international integration in line with Politburo Resolution No. 59-NQ/TW dated 24 January 2025 on "International integration in the new context". These efforts aim to affirm the Union's core role in protecting rights and promoting the comprehensive empowerment of Vietnamese women in a new era.

Looking ahead, the Union expressed its wish to continue receiving attention, support and cooperation from Caroline Nyamayamombe and UN Women, particularly in signing a new cooperation agreement for the next phase. It also called for continued support in terms of resources and expertise to enhance the Union's participation in regional and global multilateral mechanisms.

Sharing the Union's priorities, Caroline Nyamayamombe expressed her support for plans to advance women's digital transformation. She reaffirmed UN Women's commitment to strengthening women's capacity in disaster risk reduction and climate change response, as well as preventing gender-based violence and online abuse and fraud.

On 22 April 2026, UN Women is set to host and engage with 80 trainees from a capacity-building course on international integration under Resolution No. 59-NQ/TW during a field visit and workshop at the UN Green One House.

Nyamayamombe also expressed her intention for UN Women to support the Vietnam Women's Union in developing the agenda for the 14th National Women's Congress, proposing policies to address gender issues and promote women's empowerment. UN Women will also support capacity-building for new leadership at all levels to strengthen the Union's voice within the political system. The organisation is currently developing its 2027–2031 strategy and looks forward to receiving input from the Union.

The meeting concluded with confidence that cooperation between VWU and UN Women in Viet Nam will continue to grow, with a new Memorandum of Understanding to be signed.