Vietnam, Australia cooperate in empowering women in foreign service
Vietnam’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade co-organised a forum in Hanoi on October 3 to promote women’s empowerment in the foreign service in the digital age.
Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam’s Ministry ofForeign Affairs and Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Tradeco-organised a forum in Hanoi on October 3 to promote women’s empowerment inthe foreign service in the digital age.
This is the first activity of the two sides toimplement a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed on June 12, 2019, onincreasing the role and contributions of women in the foreign service to servedeep-and-wide international integration in the digital era.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, AustralianAmbassador to Vietnam Robyn Mudie said the forum created an excellentopportunity for the two countries to enhance cooperation and strengthenfriendship between diplomats.
He shared Australia’s women leadership strategy2015 and practical policies of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade tosupport female diplomats to assume managerial roles.
Vietnamese Deputy Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Sonunderlined the importance of the forum, especially when gender equality is atop priority of the global agenda and a main driving force for sustainable andinclusive growth.
He said over the past 75 years, Vietnamesefemale diplomats have made remarkable contributions to the cause of nationalindependence and unification as well as comprehensive reform.
They are an indispensible force in implementingdiplomatic tasks for peace, stability, development and internationalintegration, he added.
This forum not only helped embrace links betweenVietnamese and Australian female diplomats but also contribute to globalefforts to promote gender equality and women’s empowerment as well as furtherdeepen the relations between the two foreign ministries and the strategicpartnership between the two countries, he said.
During the forum, participants shared experiencein implementing policies on promoting gender equality and increasing the roleand contributions of women in the field.
The two foreign ministries adopted a jointstatement on bilateral cooperation in empowering women in the foreign servicein the digital age.
A training course on gender standards at theworkplace will be held on October 4 for Vietnamese young diplomats as part ofthe forum./.
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Participants at the forum (Photo: VNA) 
