“Rising and shining will” - A celebratory event for women with disability from vulnerable groups supported by MPI on the occasion of the International Women’s Day 2023

Mme Nguyen Thi Bich Ngoc, Vice Minister, Ministry of Planning and Investment,

Colleagues from the Ministry of Planning and Investment, Ministries of government

Representatives from women’s organizations and from organizations of people with disabilities,

Colleagues from UN Agencies,

Distinguished guests,

It is my great pleasure to attend this inspiring event "Rising and shining will" on the occasion of the International Women’s Day 2023.  I thank MPI for organizing such an important event, and for inviting me to deliver remarks. 

International Women’s Day is a time to reflect on progress made, to call for change and to celebrate acts of courage and determination by ordinary women, who have played and continue to play an indispensable role in their countries and communities.

In the hall today, I am seeing the bright faces and talent of representatives of the Vietnamese community of women with disabilities, who come from many different fields and professions, but all have the same spirit of "Rising and shining will".

This year, the United Nations is celebrating the International Women’s Day under the theme of DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality. The digital revolution has tremendous potential to accelerate progress towards sustainable and inclusive societies for all.

With digital transformation sweeping the world towards the Fourth Industrial Revolution, it is imperative that we ensure people with disabilities are not excluded from the workforce of the future. Digital transformation linked with edtech, remote working, fintech and networking can drive people with disabilities towards greater success and help us tap into their potential and unique skillsets. 

We at the UN in Viet Nam have a disability inclusion strategy as a core part of our daily work – we are walking the talk.  Currently, there are seven women with disabilities working at the UN in Viet Nam, and we hope to recruit more staff with disabilities going forward. By learning from them, we realised that technology has opened new opportunities and is breaking down traditional barriers.

It is our objective that persons with disabilities, especially women, are empowered to fully and equally participate in Viet Nam’s development and digital transformation to achieve the SDGs, while  leaving no one behind.

In closing, I would like to take this opportunity to recognize and celebrate the women and girls who are championing the advancement of transformative technology and digital education. Let me affirm our strong commitment to working closely with the Vietnamese Government to stand by women, especially those with disabilities, to break the barriers, to overcome stereotypes and to build forward an accessible, inclusive, and sustainable world for all.

We can all do more to ensure social inclusion and gender equality in Viet Nam.

Thank you! Xin cam on!