English Review
10 Vietnamese companies receive Women’s Empowerment Principles Awards
10:33 AM 2021-10-24
(LĐXH)- Ten Vietnamese companies recognized for advancing gender equality in the workplace, marketplace and community have received the Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs) Awards in the Awarding Ceremony organized on 22 October 2021 in Hanoi, by Vietnam Women Entrepreneur Council (VWEC), UN Women and the EU Delegation to Vietnam.
The Vietnam WEPs Awards Ceremony has the participation of the Vice Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs of Vietnam Ms Nguyen Thi Ha, Chairwoman of VWEC Ms. Nguyen Thi Tuyet Minh, Representative of UN Women in Vietnam Ms. Elisa Fernandez Saenz; European Union Delegation to Vietnam Mr. Matthieu Penot, Attaché Trade Cooperation, leaders of ministries, organizations, business associations and 200 business leaders.
WEPs Awards is the initiative of WeEmpowerAsia programme that is implemented in seven countries in the Asia-Pacific including Vietnam. WEPs Awards was firstly organized successfully in 2020. 2021 is the 2nd year the WEPs Awards is organized in Vietnam.
The WEPs Awards are to encourage and recognize the efforts of companies that promote practices, programs and actions to create more gender-inclusive business cultures embracing the gender equality and women’s empowerment, and mobilize more companies to implement the WEPs.
The WEPs Awards includes 6 categories:  Leadership Commitment, Gender-inclusive Workplace, Gender-responsive Marketplace, Community Engagement and Partnerships, Transparency & Reporting and Youth Leadership for Generation Equality.
WEPs Awards 2021 was launched in Vietnam in May 2021 and many companies actively participated although the 4th wave of COVID-19 pandemic had been serious.
Chairwoman of the Vietnam Women Entrepreneurs Council (VWEC), Ms. Nguyen Thi Tuyet Minh, highlighted:  “The WEPs Awards Ceremony 2021 takes place in context of the COVID-19 pandemic marking a process of outstanding efforts of businesses, both resilient to the pandemic and persistent with promoting gender equality commitment”.
 She focused: “Currently, gender equality in society and in business does not only refer to equality between women and men but also includes homosexual, bisexual, asexual and transgendered people who should be able to enjoy the same conditions and opportunities to contribute to and benefit from the achievements of businesses and society. Therefore, businesses should also pay attention to promoting gender diversity in the workplace, market and community”.
Representative of UN Women in Vietnam, Ms. Elisa Fernandez Saenz said: “The COVID-19 pandemic has had a disproportionate impact on women's economic participation.  Gender equality cannot be achieved without active engage of the business community. We need more than ever for companies to strengthen the application of women’s empowerment principles in the workplace, marketplace, supply chain and community to enable the full and safe participation of women as workers and business owners in the socio-economic recovery of Vietnam. The WEPs Awardees 2021 are models, inspiring other businesses to follow”./.
By Hong Minh