Attending in the workshop, Vietnam’s side has Prof. Dr. Vo Khanh Vinh – Vice President of VASS, Vice President of UNESCO National Commission for Vietnam; Mr. Pham Sanh Chau – General Secretary of UNESCO National Commission for Vietnam; Associate Prof. Dr. Nguyen Huu Minh – Director of Institute of Family and Gender Studies; and many representatives, scientists from ministries, institutes, and universalities in Hanoi including Ministry of Labor – Invalids and Social Affairs, Ministry of Education, Parliamentary Committee of Social Affairs, Parliamentary Committee of Ethnics Committee, Vietnam Women’s Union, ; Hochiminh National Academy of Politics, Women Academy, Hanoi National University, National Economics University, Hanoi National University of Education, Hanoi School of Public Health…
There is also the participation of international representatives as Mrs. Katherine Muller-Marin – Representative of UNESCO in Vietnam; Mrs. Jane Freedman – Program Expert, UNESCO’s Division for Gender Equality, and other experts from Nepal, Singapore, United Kingdom and Korea so on.
Gender equality has been one of two global priorities of UNESCO since 2008. It is not only the basic rights of human but also the essential demand for building a peaceful and sustainable society. The workshop is a part of the Social changes management program of UNESCO and focuses on one of the prior topics as social integration by enhancing the linkage between researches and policies for the inclusively social growth.
Having speech at the workshop, Prof. Dr. Vo Khanh Vinh stressed on the target of gender equality and ensuring the fairness for social groups recognized in the Constitution of Vietnam in 1946, in amended versions in 1959, 1980, 1992 and in the fully amended one in 2013. The basic spirit is to inherit the great rules in the past and keep completing and developing the rules for ensuring gender equability and human rights. Agreeing with evaluation of the implementation of gender equality and ensuring the fairness for social groups in Vietnam of Prof. Dr. Vo Khanh Vinh, Mrs. Catherine Muller-Marin – Representative of UNESCO in Vietnam stated about the society should change the ideology then change the unsuitable examples through conversations and sharing research results. The gender prejudice should be removed in textbooks, teachers and parents of students. The important channel is media so it is necessary to work with media for making social difference as well as changing the promotion ideas of media, for example, the popular psychology of prefer boys to girls in most of Asian countries or stresses which men have to face due to the high expectation of society to them. Besides, the increasing chances for women and girls to access education will lead to more positive changes of decreasing rate of illiteracy and increasing the rate of receving health care and family economic growth.
Among 34 reports sent to the workshop, there are 5 reports from international scholars which focused on the following topics: (1) The theoretical issues on the social exclusion from gender dimension and practice in Vietnam; (2) The approach of social resources; and (3) The issues of health care and security for social exclusion groups. Apart from the opening session, the workshop is divided into 4 sessions: The first one is on the gender dimensions of social exclusion; The second one is on Women approach to the social resources; The third one is on Health care and security; and the last one is one Gender dimension of social exclusion: Towards the more inclusive policies for women. Authors have discussed about interesting issues related to gender dimensions of social exclusion as well as shared about their viewpoints for the purpose of making policy which is to ensure the more integration with social exclusion groups in general and women in specifically in current circumstances.
Economic growth and education improvement could change the learning ability of girl students who are ethnic minorities and also release stresses from community on early – marriage and pregnancy. Having baby early when women has not had their position in family or when they do not have any social relationship could result in the consequence of being out of the human development and socio – economic achievement of the Renewal.
Associate Prof. Dr. Nguyen Huu Minh pointed out that researchers now pay attention to review the gender dimensions in the progress of studying the social exclusion, especially in the world integration process. It is the dimension which has diversified contents, related to multi – industries and in a large scope of work. Scientists focus on theoretical issues of the social exclusion through the gender viewpoint then link with the practice of Vietnam, the approach of social resources, health care and the security of social exclusion groups.
Local scholars suggested various solutions to support and create more chances for female invalids, ethnic minorities and rural people to access to development resources. It is to improve the education, create jobs and improve the media to limit the influences of unsuitable customs as well as build up and complete a legal framework for women of social exclusion groups.
Having speech at the end of the workshop, Prof. Dr. Vo Khanh Vinh – Vice President of VASS, Vice President of UNESCO National Commission for Vietnam affirmed the workshop topic is essential and catch up with the world trending raised by UNESCO. They are suitable with Vietnam’s practice today and require to have a new approach between industries to earn a full knowledge at all levels including theories, practice and implementation of plans. Research papers of international scholars are suggestions for Vietnam’s social policies in order to remove the social exclusion, enhance the social integration under the gender dimension and effectively protect women, especially those are in easy – to – be – hurt such as ethnic minorities. Policy assessment through the evidences and practice is a topic mentioned in the research programs for the purpose of attracting more attention of public. This topic is also oriented by UNESCO Commission in Vietnam to meet the research demand as well as to provide the advisory for Vietnam’s government in policy making. Prof. Dr. Vo Khanh Vinh expected that the research papers would be edited and published for public as a research document as well as useful reference for training units and those who are interested in this topic.
The workshop is an occasion for talks between researchers, international organizations and policy makers based on the foundation of social sciences. It is also a forum to discuss and share the knowledge of gender dimensions and the social exclusion in Vietnam./.
Nguyen Thu Ha
