First national forum held on engaging men in promoting gender equality
A national forum on “Engaging Men and Boys in the Promotion of Gender Equality and the Elimination of Gender-based Violence” was held for the first time in Hanoi with 200 delegates participating both online and in person.
Elisa Fernandez Saenz, Country Representative of UN Women in Vietnam (Photo: UN Women Vietnam)
Hanoi (VNA) - A national forum on “Engaging Men and Boys in the Promotionof Gender Equality and the Elimination of Gender-based Violence” was held forthe first time in Hanoi with 200 delegates participating both online and inperson.
The forum was jointly held by UN Women inVietnam, the Institute for Social Development Studies (ISDS), and the Networkfor the Prevention of and Response to Gender Violence (GBVNet), with financialsupport from the Australian Government.
It offered an opportunity for organisations,groups, and men’s clubs in Vietnam to introduce and share lessons, experiences,and challenges in mobilising the participation of men in promoting gender equalityas well as preventing and responding to violence against women and children,especially during COVID-19.
Delegates at the forum agreed to establish anetwork of men and boys participating in the promotion of gender equality and theelimination of gender-based violence in Vietnam.
In his address, UN Resident Coordinator inVietnam Kamal Malhotra expressed his appreciation of the initiative, stressingthat “with the active participation of men and women, I believe the process of achievingthe gender equality goals in the Sustainable Development Agenda to 2030 will beaccelerated in Vietnam. Because everyone has to promote gender equality, foreveryone’s benefit.”
ISDS Deputy Director Tran Kien said that manyVietnamese men have realised that to avoid being left behind in the new era theymust participate more in promoting gender equality and sharing opportunitieswith women.
This lies behind the establishment of a networkof men and boys participating in the promotion of gender equality and the eliminationof gender-based violence, Kien added.
Elisa Fernandez Saenz, Country Representativeof UN Women in Vietnam, spoke highly of the success of men’s clubs in Da Nangand HCM City and welcomed the initiative to set up the network.
She expressed a belief that the network will spreadpositive attitudes about masculinity, change rigid gender norms, and help men easethe pressure caused by these norms and engage them in activities to promotegender equality and combat gender-based violence in Vietnam./.
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Elisa Fernandez Saenz, Country Representative of UN Women in Vietnam (Photo: UN Women Vietnam) 
