Hanoi (VNA) – Parliaments should take more actions with a focus on policies and strategies on recovery, thus meeting gender equality requirements, a Vietnamese representative said at the online Meeting of Women Parliamentarians within the 29th Annual Meeting of the Asia-Pacific Parliamentary Forum (APPF-29), hosted by the Republic of Korea (RoK) on December 13.

Addressing the meeting, permanent member of the Vietnamese National Assembly's Committee for External Relations Le Thu Ha suggested legislatures give more resources to tackling gender equality-related issues, and increase the number of female parliamentarians.

She pointed out great challenges to gender equality due to impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic over the past two years, stressing that it is time for parliaments to take bold actions to reach gender equality and women’s empowerment during the post-pandemic recovery.

The official introduced Vietnam’s legal framework and national strategy on gender equality through different periods of time, which are set to reform national action programmes for the progress of Vietnamese women.

Vietnam has also joined relevant international commitments, including the Convention is monitored by the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), and the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, she said.

Delegates at the meeting agreed on the need to step up actions of parliaments to achieve gender equality, gender sensitivity and gender responsive approach in dealing with pandemic consequences.

The Vietnamese NA co-sponsored two draft resolutions, comprising one achieving gender equality through increasing women’s participation and representation, and another on promoting gender-based COVID-19 response and post-pandemic recovery./.