Vietnam to host ASEAN – Japan conference on gender equality

ABO/NDO- The ASEAN – Japan conference on gender equality will be held in Hanoi on January 9-12, 2024, under the theme of “Comprehensive approach for gender equality in and through sports”, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said on December 11.

It will draw the participation of many international delegates, including the ASEAN Secretariat, ASEAN member states, Timor-Leste, and Japan, as well as representatives from the ministry, the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Vietnam Women’s Union.

Along with raising public awareness of the significance of the participation of women and girls in sports, the conference will provide necessary knowledge and tools for policy-makers in ASEAN, helping them get a deep insight into the structural gender inequality, and adopt suitable approaches to handle gender-based issues.

The Vietnamese delegation at the Asian Para Games 2023 (Photo: VNA).

The event is expected to create a venue for competent sides to build strategies, as well as offer opportunities for sport policy-makers in the ASEAN region to discuss and engage in mid- and long-term strategies on equality in sport in each nation.

During the 14th ASEAN Senior Officials Meeting on Sports (SOMS-14) held in Chiang Mai, Thailand, on August 30, Vietnam was chosen to coordinate with Japan and the ASEAN Secretariat to organise the conference which is held in the framework of the ASEAN – Japan action programme on sports.

The first ASEAN – Japan Ministerial Meeting on Sports, which took place in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar, in October 2017, agreed on four priority areas of cooperation, namely development of physical teachers and coaches, women and sports, sports for people with disabilities, and doping prevention.

In the 2024-2025 period, Vietnam will host a SOMS, an ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Sports and relevant conferences, and join hands to organise many ASEAN sport activities.

(Source: NDO)