Women’s role in keeping peace and stability along the Vietnam-Cambodia border was spotlighted at a workshop held in the border commune of Krong Na in Buon Don district, the Central Highlands province of Dak Lak, on October 9.

At the workshop in Dak Lak province on October 9 

Head of the Dak Lak Women’s Union Nguyen Thi Thu Nguyet said the event aimed to devise solutions to help local women and their peers in the neighbouring Cambodian province of Mondulkiri to continue realising the cooperation deal between the two women’s unions in an effective manner.

At the workshop, representatives of Dak Lak and Mondulkiri women, along with local authorities and border guard officers, discussed and shared experience in such issues as communications to raise public awareness of border-related regulations, people-to-people diplomacy, and women’s role in maintaining peace and stability in border areas.

Director of the Mondulkiri Department of Women’s Affairs Mali Sokny suggested the two sides organise programmes to exchange experiences to help their women, especially those with disadvantages, to improve their livelihoods. The official also asked the Dak Lak Women’s Union to assist the Mondulkiri department to better its staff’s capacity.

Under their cooperation agreement for 2017-2020, the women’s unions of Dak Lak and Mondulkiri have launched emulation movements to encourage local women to engage in economic development and poverty reduction.

Both sides have joined hands in fighting illegal border crossing while working with border guards and authorities to promote illiteracy eradication, health care for women and children, and border management and protection. They have also proposed women-supporting mechanisms and policies to their respective provinces’ administrations.

Vietnam and Cambodia share 1,137km of land border that runs across 10 Vietnamese provinces and nine Cambodian provinces. Of this, 73km runs across Buon Don and Ea Sup districts of Dak Lak and Koh Nhec district of Mondulkiri.