Vietnam Women Innovation Day 2013 – Empowering women economic rights

“About 90% of my company’s labour force is women who are living in and nearby the marine protected areas in central of Vietnam.  Besides vocational trainings, local women also receive life management trainings and knowledge in protecting coastal and sea environment” said Hong, Director of Marine Gifts Co Ltd – a social enterprise produces and provides marine crafts and ecotourism services.

Marin Gift was one of 38 enterprises attending the “Women and Innovation 2013 Exhibition” a showcase of innovative products by female-headed businesses.

The exhibition was part of the “Vietnam Women Innovation Day 2013 (VWID) ” – a nationwide program promoting women innovation and economic rights at the workplace co-organized by UN Women, Vietnam Women’s Union and the World Bank Office in Vietnam. The program sought and supported initiatives of economic empowerment for women, with sub-themes of women entrepreneurs; women’s empowerment in business and production; and decent work for women.

Vietnam Women Innovation Day Opening Ceremony 

Vietnam has gone through tremendous economic growth in recent years and women’s participation in the labour force is high relative to other countries in the region at about 72 %. However, gender inequality still persists, and undermines women’s ability to benefit from processes of growth and development. Women typically earn significantly less than men, are frequently discriminated against when applying for high level professional positions. According to a recent report of International Labour Organization, Vietnam is one of a small number of nations that have seen a widening gap, nearly 2% increase in 2008-2011 compared to 1999-2007; women’s wages are now about 75% of men wages, not taking into account differences in education or job experience.

“We need to remove the barriers to women’s full participation in the labour market, strengthen institutions and enact the reforms needed to secure decent working conditions and human rights for all men and women” said Shoko Ishikawa, UN Women Vietnam Country Representative at the “Forum on Sharing of Experiences on Women Economic Empowerment, which was also one activities of the VWID 2013.

The forum marked the One year anniversary of Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs) launch in Vietnam and captured lessons and good practices from national and international entrepreneurs in promoting women’s involvement in economic activities and its benefits in their businesses. During the discussion, participants agreed that women should be encouraged to get involved in economic development as a way to promote gender equality and social progress.

Forum on Sharing of Experiences on Women Economic Empowerment 

"Programs like this (the VWID) are very practical, and should be implemented frequently. This is a good opportunity for women to facilitate innovation, share experience in business and seek necessary support "said Hong, the director of Marine Gift.

Preparations for Vietnam’s Women Innovation Day 2013 began in March 2013. After eight months, the organizers selected eight initiatives from the 219 proposals submitted to receive awards of up to 15,000 USD/initiative in grants. The awarded initiatives focus on economic empowerment for women within the categories of ‘Women entrepreneurs’, ‘Women’s Empowerment in Business and Production’ and ‘Decent Work for Women’.