National Assembly deputies Thái Quỳnh Mai Dung and Nguyễn Thanh Cầm attend the fifth Meeting of the Coordinating Committee of Women Parliamentarians of AIMA (WAIPA) virtually from Hà Nội. — Photo courtesy of the National Assembly Portal

HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam’s National Assembly (NA) stands ready to work with other legislatures within ASEAN to develop programmes connecting female parliamentarians, focusing on shared priorities such as digital transformation, the digital economy and cybersecurity, deputy Thái Quỳnh Mai Dung said at the fifth Meeting of the Coordinating Committee of Women Parliamentarians of AIMA (WAIPA) on Monday.

Dung, a full-time NA deputy serving on the Committee for National Defence, Security and Foreign Affairs, affirmed Việt Nam’s support for promoting diversity, inclusiveness and gender equality in parliaments, describing these as key foundations for building a strong and future-ready ASEAN.

Domestically, the legal framework for the 2026-2031 elections continues to ensure that at least 35 per cent of candidates are women, with the actual figure reaching nearly 45 per cent. Women currently make up 150 members of the 500-seat NA, or 30 per cent, above the global average of 27.5 per cent.

The legislature has also discussed progress towards national gender equality targets, with proposals including amendments to the Law on Gender Equality, the development of integrated gender data systems and stronger policy enforcement.

At the meeting, Nguyễn Thanh Cầm, a full-time deputy on the NA’s Committee for Culture and Society, noted that both the proportion and quality of female legislators are improving, though challenges remain in deeper engagement in specialised fields and in resource mobilisation.

To further strengthen women’s role in ASEAN parliaments, she proposed enhancing data and experience sharing, along with expanding technical training, particularly in emerging areas such as digital transformation and cybersecurity.

WAIPA is seen not only as a forum for dialogue but also as an action-oriented mechanism to promote meaningful participation of women in legislative processes. — VNA/VNS