Launching the Action Month for Gender Equality and Gender-Based Violence Prevention and Response 2023

In recent years, the COVID-19 pandemic and global economic downturn have severely impacted the lives of people, especially vulnerable groups such as women and children. The resulting health, economic, and social pressures have led to a surge in violence against women and girls during the pandemic, threatening progress made in gender equality in many countries. In response, the Vietnamese Party, State, and Government have taken measures to ensure social security, promote gender equality, and prevent and respond to gender-based violence, particularly against women and children. These efforts have helped stabilize the lives of disadvantaged women and children and reduced the risks of violence and abuse.

The theme for this year’s Action Month, “Ensuring social security, empowering and creating opportunities for women and girls to achieve gender equality and eliminate violence against them,” highlights Vietnam’s current priorities in fostering substantive gender equality, unleashing the potential of both men and women for the development of the community and family, and enabling equal enjoyment of development outcomes.

During his launching speech, Minister Đào Ngọc Dung reaffirmed Vietnam’s commitment to gender equality and emphasized the critical role of communication: “To address gender inequality in Vietnam, alongside legal frameworks, policies, and social welfare programs, communication has been identified as the most important task to raise awareness, transform behavior, and eliminate prejudice, thus realizing substantive gender equality.” He noted that the Gender Equality Communication Program to 2030 and the Action Month on Gender Equality and Gender-Based Violence Prevention and Response (since 2016) have positively impacted public awareness and behavior across various sectors.

The delegates also assessed the challenges ahead in promoting gender equality and addressing gender-based violence, emphasizing the need for greater engagement from all levels and sectors of society.

Ms. Pauline Tamesis, UN Resident Coordinator in Vietnam, stated: “We know that COVID-19, climate change, natural disasters, wars, and conflicts all increase gender-based violence and worsen the economic difficulties of households. Investing in prevention is crucial—not only does it benefit women, children, and families, but it also supports a stronger and more sustainable national economy.”

Minister Đào Ngọc Dung called on ministries, agencies, Party committees, authorities, organizations, media, and every citizen to commit to taking concrete and effective actions to promote gender equality:
“A peaceful world free from violence, disease, and poverty, a democratic, just, and civilized society full of compassion is the rightful aspiration of all people. That dream can only be realized through shared responsibility, understanding, and love. Gender equality cannot be achieved without the active participation of men in family duties and efforts to end violence against women and girls. Women must also enhance their autonomy and confidence to participate more actively in socio-economic fields. Likewise, men must believe they can fulfill caregiving roles and be part of the solution to ending violence against women,” Minister Dung stressed.

Mr. Đặng Ngọc Hòa, Chairman of the Board of Vietnam Airlines, shared: “Vietnam Airlines is committed to raising awareness and promoting action for gender equality in society. This is our responsibility as the national airline, contributing to sustainable development. We pledge to support the Action Month for Gender Equality and Gender-Based Violence Prevention through innovative and practical initiatives. We are always ready to collaborate with organizations to enhance impact and widely disseminate positive messages and values.”

During the event, Vietnam Airlines and the United Nations in Vietnam signed a commitment to the Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs), making Vietnam Airlines the 174th business in Vietnam and among over 8,500 global companies to join the WEPs network. This affirms Vietnam Airlines’ recognition of the importance of gender equality and women’s empowerment, and its efforts to create equal opportunities for all genders and maximize human resource potential—an essential part of its corporate social responsibility.

The launching ceremony marked the beginning of a nationwide communication campaign on gender equality and gender-based violence prevention and response for 2023. Thousands of activities will follow, organized by ministries, agencies, and localities across the country.

As part of the national Action Month and to spread its meaningful message, Vietnam Airlines will operate two themed flights—“Orange the Sky”—on the Hanoi–Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi–Incheon (South Korea) routes. These special flights will align with the “Orange the World” campaign, a 16-day global initiative (from November 25 to December 10) to unite and end gender-based violence. This marks the second time Vietnam Airlines has joined this initiative.

Orange is the chosen color for the global campaign to end gender-based violence because it is a bright color that symbolizes hope for survivors and those working in the field. It also draws attention to the urgency and severity of violence against women and millions of children worldwide, calling for strong engagement from all stakeholders to eliminate this issue.