Vietnam is among the three leading countries in South Asia and Southeast Asia in the 2020 Asia Girls Report which was released by Plan International on March 5.

Vietnam is among the three leading countries in South Asia and
Southeast Asia in the 2020 Asia Girls Report. (Photo: VNA)

The report presents the current state of girls’ leadership in Asia, based on the findings of the organisation’s research, including a literature review, survey and key informant interviews, and the Asia Girls’ Leadership Index.

Using available data from official global databases, the index measures the opportunities of adolescent girls and young women in 19 countries of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) and Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to develop and demonstrate leadership capabilities.

The first research of this kind, it gives insights into key trends and issues that enable or constrain empowerment and leadership of adolescent girls and young women across six domains: education, health, economic opportunities, protection, political voice and representation and laws and policies. 

This new analysis helps those working in government, academia, aid and development to further understand how investments in certain areas can help to close the gaps in gender inequality and “leave no one behind”.