Recently, in Hanoi, the Vietnam Women Entrepreneurs Council (VWEC) under the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI), UN Women and the European Union jointly organized the Award Ceremony of "the Women's Empowerment Principles - (WEPs)” in 2021. The event was organized both physically and virtually.

This is within the framework of the WeEmpowerAsia project deployed in seven countries in the Asia Pacific region, including Vietnam. In 2020, the Vietnam Women Entrepreneurs Council and UN Women successfully organized the WEPs Awards for the first time in Vietnam. The WEPs 2021 in Vietnam was launched in May 2021. Despite the complicated fourth wave of the Covid-19 pandemic in Vietnam, the organizer still received positive responses from businesses across the country.

The awards recognize the efforts of companies with initiatives and action programs to promote gender equality and empower women; attracting more and more companies to apply the Women's Empowerment Principles in their business. The awards feature six categories, including Leadership Commitment on gender equality (leaders over 35 years old), Leadership Commitment on gender equality (leader under 35 years old), Gender-inclusive Workplace Gender Equality, Gender-responsive Marketplace, Community Engagement and Partnerships, and Transparency and Reporting.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Tuyet Minh, Chairwoman of the Vietnam Women Entrepreneurs Council, said: “At present, gender equality in society in general and in businesses in particular not only refers to the equality between women and men, and businesses should focus on promoting gender diversity in the workplace, market and community”.

Ms. Elisa Fernandez Saenz, Chief Representative of UN Women in Vietnam said that the COVID-19 pandemic has cast a profound impact on women's economic activities. Gender equality cannot be achieved without the cooperation of the business community. I urge businesses to embrace Women's Empowerment Principles - (WEPs) in the workplace, markets, supply chains, and communities to enhance female employment and promote recovery of women-owned businesses.