Hanoi (VNA) – The fifth consultation meetingbetween ASEAN Committee on Women (ACW) and the ASEAN Commission on thePromotion and Protection of the Rights of Women and Children (ACWC) convened inHanoi on October 21.

The meeting was jointly organised by the VietnameseMinistry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs and the ASEAN Secretariat aspart of the third ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Women (AMMW) and relatedmeetings underway in Hanoi from October 18 – 25. It gathered ten heads of the ACWand 20 representatives of ASEAN member states for women’s and children’s rightsalongside officials from ASEAN Secretariat.

It is held annually within the framework of the ACW’s andACWC’s meetings to exchange and promote regional cooperation in women’s issues,gender equality and empowerment of women and girls. It also aims to fostercollaboration in the implementation of joint projects in the two committees’work plans and develop networks and partnership for the joint projects.

At the event, the two sides discussed cooperation inimplementing the Regional Plan of Action on the Elimination of Violence againstWomen (RPA-EVAW), the ASEAN Declaration on the Gender-Responsive Implementationof the ASEAN Community Vision 2025 and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),and the Joint Statement on Promoting Women, Peace and Security in ASEAN.

The meeting also updated the status of joint projects andactivities between the two sides, including the establishment of a ACW and ACWCJoin Ad-hoc Working Group on Gender Mainstreaming which will develop acomprehensive strategy to mainstream gender perspectives across all the threeASEAN Community pillars; elimination of gender-stereotyping and sexist languagein documents and curricula at schools; gender issues in climate change; andgender responsive planning and budgeting.

The sixth meeting will take place in Brunei next year.

The ACW is a sectoral body established in1976 to implement, coordinate and monitor the implementation of ASEAN’sregional priorities related to women’s issues at various levels of political,economic and social life. It is comprised of senior officials who areresponsible for the coordination and monitoring of the implementation ofASEAN’s key regional priorities and cooperation in women’s issues and concerns.

The ACWC was launched on April 7, 2010 in Hanoi on theoccasion of 16th ASEAN Summit. ACWC’s mandates and functions include thedevelopment of policies, programmes, and innovative strategies to promote andprotect the rights of women and children to complement the building of theASEAN Community.

It has organised different regional workshops, seminars,training sessions and consultative meetings that provided platforms forgovernment officials, civil society organisations, professionals and otherstakeholders to exchange views, share experience and build commitments and acommon understanding on various gender issues. –VNA