Women’s role in natural disaster control highlighted
Women are the group that is hard hit by natural disasters and an important factor in natural disaster prevention and control, according to Nguyen Van Tien, Deputy General Director of the Disaster Management Authority (VNDMA) under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.
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| Women help overcome flooding consequences. (Photo: VNA) |
Tien made the statement at a programme on March 7 to honour women’s role in natural disaster prevention and control, with the participation of Elisa Fernander, Country Representative of UN Women in Viet Nam.
Tien said that due to inadequate awareness of gender roles and inequal access to resources, women and girls are the most vulnerable during natural disasters.
The role and contributions of women have not yet been recognised, he noted, stressing that the mobilisation of equal engagement of men and women is crucial in ensuring the effectiveness of natural disaster prevention and control activities, strengthening the resilience of the whole community.
Addressing the event, Fernander said that the theme of this year, the International Women’s Day, “Gender Equality Today for a Sustainable Tomorrow”, aims to highlight the role of women in the fight against natural disasters and climate change.
She said that in order to promote the role of women in natural disaster prevention and control, it is necessary to create more spaces or give more support to women so that they can make more contributions to the work.
During the programme, the organising board announced the winners of a photo contest on women and natural disasters.
The contest, part of the EmPower project, received more than 1,000 entries which depicted the strength, energy, optimism and hope of women as well as their beauty amid difficult situations.
(Source: VNA)
