(MPI) - Under the chairmanship of Minister Nguyen Chi Dung, on the afternoon of August 12, 2024, the signing ceremony of the cooperation program on supporting women in starting businesses, developing enterprises and developing the collective economy between the Ministry of Planning and Investment and the Vietnam Women's Union for the period 2024-2027 took place. Co-chairing the ceremony was Ms. Ha Thi Nga, President of the Vietnam Women's Union.

Attending the ceremony were Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen Thi Bich Ngoc, along with representatives of relevant agencies and representatives of more than 100 female-owned enterprises and cooperatives.

The program aims to strengthen coordination to contribute to improving the effectiveness and efficiency in implementing the Party's guidelines and the State's laws and policies on developing the collective economy and cooperatives, supporting business development, especially businesses and cooperatives managed by women, creating more jobs for female workers; coordinate to effectively implement the Law on Support for Small and Medium Enterprises; the Law on Cooperatives 2023 and implement Government Projects to contribute to promoting gender equality in the field of supporting the development of businesses and cooperatives, enhancing women's economic empowerment.

Minister Nguyen Chi Dung speaks at the ceremony. Photo: MPI

Speaking at the ceremony, Minister Nguyen Chi Dung said that female enterprises and cooperatives owned by women play an important role in contributing to the overall development achievements of the business and cooperative sector. In the context of the world and domestic economy still facing many difficulties and challenges, female entrepreneurs have always been proactive and made efforts to overcome barriers and gender prejudices to enrich themselves, their families and the community.

The Ministry of Planning and Investment has advised the Government to submit to the National Assembly the Law on Support for Small and Medium Enterprises, which institutionalizes for the first time the concept of small and medium enterprises owned by women with many solutions to support women enterprises in consulting, training, digital transformation support, support for women enterprises to start innovative businesses and participate in the chain. The Ministry has also advised the Government to submit to the National Assembly the Law on Cooperatives in 2023, which fully institutionalizes 8 policy groups in Resolution No. 20-NQ/TW of the Central Committee on continuing to innovate, develop and improve the efficiency of the collective economy in the new period, adding regulations that cooperatives and cooperative unions managed by women are priority beneficiaries of the Law's policies.

In the coming time, Minister Nguyen Chi Dung affirmed that the Ministry of Planning and Investment will closely coordinate with the Central Committee of the Vietnam Women's Union to effectively implement programs to support innovation, digital transformation, smart manufacturing, and high-tech agriculture. Direct functional units and the Department of Planning and Investment of provinces and cities to effectively implement the Cooperation Program. Along with that, continue to promote cooperation with international organizations to have more resources to support activities to enhance capacity for women to start businesses, develop businesses, and develop the collective economy.

Ms. Ha Thi Nga, President of the Vietnam Women's Union, spoke at the ceremony. Photo: MPI

According to Ms. Ha Thi Nga, the signing ceremony of the cooperation program is of great significance in the journey of supporting women to start businesses, develop businesses and develop the collective economy, contributing to the journey of building a more and more sustainable country. Through the coordination activities, it contributes to improving the organizational capacity of the Vietnam Women's Union at all levels in organizing the implementation of contents and tasks to support women to start businesses and small and medium-sized enterprises/businesses owned by women; supporting cooperatives managed by women, creating more jobs for female workers..., contributing to the successful implementation of the goal of developing Vietnamese enterprises and entrepreneurs; developing the collective economy, cooperatives and the goal of gender equality for women in the fields of economics, labor and employment.

Ms. Ha Thi Nga thanked the Ministry of Planning and Investment for its attention, development and implementation of many specific support programs to help raise awareness for entrepreneurs, small and medium enterprises owned by women, especially for cooperatives managed by women. Training programs, consulting, digital transformation support, provision of information, financial management tools, industry and market reports, etc.; this is a great concern, practical and meaningful support of the Ministry of Planning and Investment for the Vietnam Women's Union as well as enterprises and cooperatives owned by women. At the same time, she affirmed that she will cooperate closely with the Ministry of Planning and Investment to successfully implement the goals of the cooperation program set out by the two sides.

The program of coordination on supporting women in starting businesses, developing businesses and developing the collective economy between the Ministry of Planning and Investment and the Vietnam Women's Union for the period 2024-2027 includes 4 main contents. Firstly, developing and proposing policies; propagating, mobilizing, raising awareness of members and women about the Party's guidelines and policies, the State's laws in supporting women in starting businesses, developing businesses and developing the collective economy.

Accordingly, coordinate in developing and proposing policies and projects to contribute to gender equality in supporting women in starting businesses, developing businesses, developing collective economy and cooperatives.

Coordinate the organization of propaganda, communication and mobilization activities, raising awareness of members and women in many diverse and rich forms about the Party's guidelines and policies, the State's laws in supporting women in starting businesses, developing businesses and developing the collective economy, focusing on the contents of supporting small and medium-sized enterprises owned by women, supporting women in starting businesses, supporting the development of cooperatives managed by women and creating more jobs for female workers... through media units (newspapers, magazines, electronic information portals...) of the two sides to motivate and encourage women nationwide to actively start businesses, develop the economy, contributing to the successful implementation of the goal of developing Vietnamese enterprises and entrepreneurs; developing the collective economy, cooperatives and the goal of gender equality for women in the fields of economics, labor and employment.

Minister Nguyen Chi Dung and President of the Vietnam Women's Union Ha Thi Nga signed the Work Coordination Program. Photo: MPI

Second, coordinate the implementation of activities to support women in starting and developing businesses, focusing on supporting small and medium-sized businesses/enterprises owned by women. Promote awareness and capacity building for officials, members, women/women business owners on the Law on Supporting Small and Medium Enterprises and related documents, focusing on contents to promote access to and enjoyment of preferential policies for small and medium-sized enterprises and business households owned by women according to the provisions of the Law and other relevant Programs, Projects and Plans.

Synthesize and mobilize domestic and international resources to support capacity building for women-owned small and medium enterprises in human resource development management; business administration and enterprise development.

Coordinate the organization of the Women's Startup Competition organized by the Vietnam Women's Union, and support women's startups to qualify for the Vietnam Innovation Challenge program and other related programs organized annually by the Ministry of Planning and Investment.

Third, coordinate the implementation of support for the development of collective economy and cooperatives managed by women, creating jobs for female workers, specifically: Coordinate the organization of training to improve capacity for members, cooperative leaders, cooperative groups, and Union officials at all levels on the development of collective economy and cooperatives; Coordinate the dissemination and popularization of the 2023 Law on Cooperatives and guiding documents.

Synthesize and mobilize domestic and international resources to support capacity building for cooperatives and cooperative groups managed and developed by women, expand cooperatives and cooperative groups managed by women, and create jobs for female workers.

Fourthly, coordinate in conducting research, monitoring, evaluating, summarizing and concluding the activities under the Coordination Program and the functions and tasks of the two Parties. Strengthen the sharing of information and data, participate in research activities between the two Parties to promptly propose to the Party and the State to remove difficulties and obstacles in mechanisms, policies and issues related to supporting cooperatives managed by women, creating jobs for female workers and policies to support women in starting businesses, innovation, and promoting capacity building for women-owned businesses/household businesses. Coordinate in organizing the inspection, monitoring, evaluation, summarizing and concluding the activities under the Coordination Program and the functions and tasks of the two Parties.

At the Ceremony, representatives of some typical enterprises and cooperatives owned by women introduced and shared about the development process; key products; proposals and recommendations; expressed their hope that through the Cooperation Program signed between the Ministry of Planning and Investment and the Vietnam Women's Union, new opportunities will be created in the journey of supporting women to start businesses, promoting the sustainable development of female enterprises and cooperatives managed by women, towards realizing the millennium goals and gender equality goals of the country./.

Tung Linh

Ministry of Planning and Investment