English - CEDAW Southeast Asia

A Gendered and Rights-Based Review of Vietnamese Legal Documents through the Lens of CEDAW
Article 11: Gender equality in the field of politics
(1) Man and woman are equal in participating in the state management and social activities.
(2) Man and woman are equal in participating in the formulation and implementation of
village codes, community regulations, agencies and organizations regulations.
This gives notice on the need to ensure the equal participation of women in the exercise
of grassroots democracy.
Recommendation: It is recommended that the Ordinance on Democracy ensure
that it reaches women of all sectors, especially ethnic minority women, and ensure their
participation. To enable women to participate, specific measures must be in stipulated
in legal documents, including sex-disaggregated data on the number and level of their
participation, additional resources for outreach to women, targeted consultations for
women, hiring of female workers to reach out to women, and inclusion of gender interventions
in the reports on grassroots democracy of local authorities. It is also suggested
that Article 15 of the ordinance be revised by amending it to require only for 50 percent
of total number of voters for contents in Article 13 to be valid for implementation,
thereby deleting 50 percent of voter-representatives of households as an option.
Indicator 62
Do women have equal opportunity to represent the Government
at the international level and participate in work of international
organizations
MOFA has adopted a Plan of Action for Advancement of Women, which sets these targets:
(a) the proportion of women in the whole diplomatic service will be 30 percent; (b) women
in key positions will be 11-20 percent; (c) female Heads of Representative Missions will be 20
percent and higher; and (d) one female Minister Assistant. At present, the percentage of
women in the diplomatic service accounts for 28 percent, of which 28 percent is working
abroad. 382 The proportion of female students passing the entrance exam to gain admission to
the Institute for International Relations has been fluctuating between 35 to 51 percent (from
2000 to 2003). 383
From 2000 to 2003, the number of women appointed as Directors and Deputy Directors
in the diplomatic service increased from 10 to 15 women. 384 There are now 11 female Heads
of Divisions. In total, the number of women in leadership positions in the diplomatic service is
one female Department Director (out of 22 Department Directors), five female Deputy
Directors (out of 57 Deputy Directors), two female Heads of Divisions (out of 22 Heads of
Division), and nine female Deputy Heads of Divisions (out of 32 Deputy Heads of Division).
Although progress can be seen, in all cases, this falls behind the 30 percent criterion set by
CEDAW for all levels and sectors. 385
189
382
Combined Fifth and Sixth Periodic Report, p. 26
383
Ibid. The figures for the Term 26 (Year 2000), 27 (Year 2001), 28 (Year 2002) and 29 (Year 2003) were 137/55,
129/66, 154/68 and 169/60 which is 40 percent, 51 percent, 44 percent and 35 percent of women out of the total
examinees.
384
Ibid.
385
GR 23, Paragraph 16
Political and public life (Articles 7 and 8 of CEDAW)