Hanoi (VNA)ꦉ - The COVID-19 pandemic is seen as a catalyst that accelerates digital transformation and automation. It will adversely affect the participation of women in economic development activities if there are no timely solutions.

Addressing the 4th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Women (AMMW) held online on October 15, Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Dao Ngoc Dung laid stress on social welfare and equality for women and girls. He said that this is the premise for regional advancement and equality. He said ASEAN member nations need to take measures to create a favourable environment with conditions to improve women's digital access and application. Focus must be put on the universalisation of digital technology and necessary skills for girls, thus ensuring the success of the next generations. The 4th AMMW was hosted by Indonesia with the theme “Digital Economy and Financial Inclusion for Improving ASEAN Women's Competitiveness”. It aimed to discuss national and regional solutions to enhance women's competitiveness through digital and financial inclusion. It also symbolised the regional group's commitment to realising gender equality and empowering women. The meeting featured five series of sessions that discussed cooperation programmes for resolving women's issues. These facilitate the exchange of practical experiences within the theme of digital economy and financial inclusion. The five series of activities are the 20th ACW Meeting, 13th ACW 3 Meeting, 23rd ACWC Meeting, 8th ACWC – ACW Consultation Meeting, and 4th AMMW. Minister Dung highly valued the theme chosen by Indonesia in the context that the COVID-19 pandemic is making digital transformation and automation happen rapidly. This affects involvement of women in economic development. Highlighting Vietnam’s efforts, Minister Dung affirmed Vietnam’s commitment to promoting gender equality and empowering women, especially economic power. He said that these efforts have shown through advances in gender mainstreaming in laws and policies, the application of flexible online education and training programmes, and the application of digital technologies to small and micro enterprises owned by women. Financial and non-financial services have been provided to disadvantaged women in order to better the quality of life and status of women. Minister Dao Ngoc Dung also mentioned support packages offered by the Vietnamese Government to minimise negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic for affected people. He highlighted the 26-trillion-VND support package for employees and employers facing difficulties due to the health crisis. This support package has been expanded to the group of female workers who are pregnant or raising children under 6 years old and groups in which women make up the majority such as self-employed workers, business households, and employees operating in art activities. Besides, the Vietnamese Government has also applied software and applications on smart mobile phones to facilitate people’s registration to receive support packages in some provinces and cities, said Minister Dung. The ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Women is held every three years for ministers of ASEAN member countries who are in charge of women-related issues. It discusses and orients the promotion of cooperation on ensuring gender equality and empowering women in the ASEAN region. At the meeting, Vietnam transferred the AMMW Chairmanship to Indonesia for the 2021-2023 term. Representatives from ASEAN member nations congratulated Vietnam on successfully taking on the role of Chairman of AMMW in the 2018-2021 tenure in the context of many challenges and upheavals. Over the past three years, ASEAN cooperation on gender equality and women's empowerment reached a new high with policies on strengthening young women's resilience, promoting leadership and participation of Women in political activities, and digital economic and financial inclusion for women in ASEAN. The effective implementation of partnership within ASEAN to promote gender equality and women's empowerment in the region and respond strongly to challenges arising from the changing social situation amid the COVID-19 pandemic was the highlight during Vietnam’s tenure as the AMMW Chairmanship. The theme "Social Security for Women and Girls Towards ASEAN Vision 2025," selected by Vietnam over the past three years, has shown the timeliness and urgency of emphasising gender issues in ensuring social security in the context of the COVID-19 outbreak./.