Ambassador Đinh Toàn Thắng delivers a speech at the event. VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — A Vietnamese delegation led by Ambassador to France and Representative of the State President to the International Organisation of La Francophonie (OIF) Đinh Toàn Thắng attended the 46th session of the Ministerial Conference of La Francophonie (CMF 46) in Kigali, Rwanda, on Wednesday and Thursday.

In his remarks at the conference, Thắng affirmed that Việt Nam attaches great importance to gender equality and women’s empowerment, noting the country’s significant achievements in this area. He expressed Việt Nam’s strong support for the Francophonie community’s efforts to promote gender equality and empower women and girls through the active implementation of the Francophonie gender equality strategy and related projects and initiatives.

Việt Nam proposed that the OIF and its member states continue efforts to foster peace and stability as a foundation for advancing women’s progress. Thắng emphasised the need to place gender equality at the centre of national development strategies and called for further strengthening of Francophone economic cooperation to promote women’s economic empowerment.

The conference recognised Việt Nam’s achievements and regarded the country as a shining example of success in promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment. It also welcomed Việt Nam’s active contributions to enhancing the image and voice of the Francophone community in the Asia-Pacific region and its work within the OIF committees, thereby contributing to the increased effectiveness of OIF programmes and activities in various fields.

Regarding future cooperation priorities, the ambassador called on the Francophonie community to continue asserting its role as a unifying and cooperative actor, contributing to peace, stability, human development, and shared prosperity within the Francophone space and globally.

The Francophonie should continue to support member countries in achieving sustainable development goals, digital transformation and green transition, and responses to global challenges, while also promoting French language teaching, educational cooperation, and job creation for women and youth, he stressed.

The conference, themed “Thirty years after Beijing: the contribution of women in the Francophone space,” saw the participation of nearly 70 delegations representing 90 OIF member states and governments.

The event focused on assessing gender equality and women’s empowerment in the Francophone space since the adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action in 1994 and discussed priority cooperation directions for the Francophonie in the coming period, particularly in politics, security, French language promotion and development, economic cooperation, and sustainable development.

The conference adopted the Kigali Call to Action, in which OIF member states committed to strengthening gender-disaggregated data collection, ensuring women’s participation in all areas of social life, and reaffirming their commitment to promoting sustainable development based on gender equality. VNA/VNS