HÀ NỘI – Party General Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng yesterday praised the significant contributions made by Vietnamese women in the past struggles for national independence and the current task of nation-building.

Delivering the opening address at the 12th National Women’s Congress in Hà Nội, he said women, accounting for more than half of the population and 48 per cent of workforce, have been active in every field.

They have actively responded to patriotic emulation campaigns and abided by Party guidelines and State laws, he said.

He also congratulated the women’s movement and the Việt Nam Women’s Union (VWU) for their past achievements.
The Congress for the 2017-2022 tenure, themed “Solidarity – Renovation – Equality – Integration,” attracted 1,153 delegates representing women from all walks of life across the country.
The Party leader also praised the Women’s Union for continuing to play a crucial role in promoting the cause of gender equality cause and performing better its tasks of representing and protecting the legitimate rights and interests of women.

The VWU has served as a bridge connecting the Party and women, contributed to strengthening national unity and building a strong and transparent Party and political system, he said.
Growing leadership

Trọng noted that the presence of female leadership in the political system was growing, with 25 per cent of legislators being women. Women working in the science and technology sector account for nearly 40 per cent, he added.
He said the VWU needs to fully grasp the Resolution adopted by the 12th National Party Congress and take specific measures to implement its provisions.

The leader urged further improvement in the quality of emulation campaigns, combining it with those launched by the Việt Nam Fatherland Front to support the poor and following the moral example set by President Hồ Chí Minh.
VWU chapters at all levels should continue assisting women in implementing policies related to marriage, families, healthcare for mothers and children, and environmental protection, he said.
He said the VWU chapters should adopt uniform measures for advancement of women in terms of brainpower, innovation capacity and sense of civic responsibility while building a contingent of qualified staff with political firmness and virtue.

They should introduce capable women to Party committees, local authorities, ministries, agencies and sectors from the grassroots to the central level, he said.
Trọng asked the VWU to seriously implement the Resolution on Party building and rectification passed by the fourth plenum of the 12th Party Central Committee.

It should encourage its members to engage in the tasks of social supervision and join the fight against corruption, wastefulness and other negative phenomena, he said.
Trọng also urged Party committees, local authorities and sectors to devise specific plans to improve the efficiency of women’s work and the operations of VWU chapters, and raise public awareness of gender equality.

Women-led households

VWU Chairwoman for the 11th tenure, Nguyễn Thị Thu Hà, said the Congress will review past activities, discuss orientations and goals for the 2017-2022 tenure, adopt amendments and supplements to the union’s regulations and elect an executive board for the VWU Central Committee.
A highlight in the past tenure was support for women in economic development, she said, adding that VWU chapters had helped more than 2.4 million poor households led by women. With funding from Vietnam Bank for Social Policies and the Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development 430,000 of them have escaped poverty, she added.

The VWU raised over VNĐ1 trillion (US$43.4 million) to assist policy beneficiaries and families of soldiers tasked with safeguarding sea and island sovereignty. It helped repaired about 20,000 houses and successfully proposed 119 policies.
During the 2017-2022 tenure, VWU will continue improving the material and spiritual lives of women, build a strong and professional women’s union and continue emulation campaigns to promote gender equality and women’s advancement.
It will focus on three key tasks of assisting women in building a happy family, in engaging in start-ups, and in protecting the environment. Members would contribute to Party-buidling and step up people-to-people diplomacy, she said. —VNS