A group of seven companies located in Hanoi have received the Women’s Empowerment Principles Awards (WEPs Awards) 2022 in recognition of their efforts to embrace gender equality and advance women’s authority at work.
| The Women’s Empowerment Principles Awards (WEPs Awards) 2022. Photos: UNWOMEN |
Supported by the Australian Government, a long-time supporter of equality activities in Vietnam, the WEPs Awards recognize the efforts of the private sector to promote practices, programs and actions and create more gender-inclusive business cultures.
The WEPs Awards includes seven categories: Leadership Commitment, Gender-inclusive Workplace, Gender-responsive Marketplace, Community Engagement and Partnerships, Transparency & Reporting, Youth Leadership for Generation Equality and SMEs Champion. A total of 15 businesses are honored for the awards this year.
The Hanoi-based businesses were honored in a ceremony organized on November 8 by the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) and the Vietnam Women Entrepreneur Council (VWEC).
| Awardees and participants at the ceremony held in Hanoi on Nov 8. |
The winners include Nguyen Thi Tra My, General Director, PAN Group Joint Stock Company; Than Duc Viet, General Director, Garment 10 Corporation-Joint Stock Company for “Leadership Commitment Award Category”; and Nguyen Ngoc My, Senior Executive, Vice Chairwoman of the Board and General Director, Alphanam Group, for “Youth Leadership Category.”
Meanwhile, VPS Securities Joint Stock Company, and Ho Guom Group Joint Stock Company win “Gender-inclusive Workplace Award Category” while Julie Sandlau Vietnam Co. Ltd is the winner of “Gender-responsive Marketplace Award Category” and Savvycom Joint Stock Company awarded for “Community and Industry Engagement Award Category.”
| Elisa Fernandez Saenz, Representative of UN Women in Vietnam, speaks at the event. |
Elisa Fernandez Saenz, Representative of UN Women in Vietnam, said they hope that the WEPs Awards will inspire more companies to be more active in adopting policies and practices that promote gender equality.
“As the engine of economic development, the private sector plays a significant part in the socio-economic recovery post-Covid and beyond and has become vital in advancing gender equality in the workplace, marketplace, and community to close the gender gap,” she noted.
| Chairwoman of the Vietnam Women Entrepreneurs Council (VWEC) Nguyen Thi Tuyet Minh at the event. |
Chairwoman of the Vietnam Women Entrepreneurs Council (VWEC) Nguyen Thi Tuyet Minh, highlighted women’s contribution to society and enterprises, confirming their leading role in changes for doing decent business and sustainable development. “WEPs Awards will spread and motivate enterprises to have more initiatives in advancing gender equality, and women’s economic empowerment at all levels in enterprises,” she emphasized.
At the ceremony attended by leaders of ministries, organizations, business associations, enterprises, UN Agencies, and other international organizations, participants shared and discussed the barriers and challenges that women-owned businesses face in accessing markets in Vietnam. At the same time, they evaluated entry points for facilitating more equal market opportunities for women by promoting supplier diversity and gender-responsive procurement.
| Cherie Russell, Development Counsellor, the Australian Embassy in Hanoi, addresses the event. |
During the event, UN Women and the Embassy of Australia in Vietnam introduced the new program “WE RISE Together: creating equal market opportunities for women by advancing Supplier Diversity through Gender-Responsive Procurement”. This program is supported by the Australian Government’s Mekong-Australia Partnership.
“In the Asia-Pacific region, an estimated 60% of micro-, small and medium enterprises are owned by women but currently, in the global procurement market, women-owned businesses secure only 1% of spending. WE RISE Together will address this inequality and encourage the public and private sector in Vietnam to evolve their procurement policies,” noted Cherie Russell, Development Counsellor, the Australian Embassy in Hanoi.
