Five foreign commerce chambers in Vietnam join hands in gender equality promotion

Vietnam-based chambers of commerce from the U.S., the UK, Canada, Australia, and Europe have entered into a commitment to jointly promote gender diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) for the sake of women in the Southeast Asian country.

The leaders of AmCham (the U.S.), BritCham (the UK), CanCham (Canada), AusCham (Australia), and EuroCham (Europe) in Vietnam signed the Panel Pledge Vietnam as a commitment to strengthen women’s voices in the workplace and in society.

The signing was made at the event entitled 'Champions of Diversity and Inclusion Panel Pledge,' co-hosted recently in Ho Chi Minh City by an informal coalition of these five chambers dedicated to advancing DEI, according to AmCham Vietnam.

The event attracted the participation of many business leaders who also signed the same commitment.

The Panel Pledge Vietnam is derived from the Panel Pledge, which is “a leading panel parity initiative which originated in Australia as an achievable step to advance gender equity,” AmCham Vietnam said.

This initiative focuses on creating gender equality at professional events and forums, which is considered an important step toward achieving the goals of gender equality.

With their commitment, the five business associations will actively increase the participation of female speakers at events, seminars, conferences or public forums. 

They will also be committed to working with event organizers about speaker composition, including recommending female or male speakers where appropriate, and helping create a positive mindset about women’s participation in all agendas.

Van Ly, an AmCham representative, said that efforts to recognize many different voices from gender-diverse speakers can open up more interesting perspectives on various issues.

The commitment of the foreign business associations will have a positive impact on work culture, promote gender equality, and empower women in Vietnam, she said.

Currently, many businesses in Vietnam are pushning for the building of a gender equality policy as a business mission and the inclusion of it in actual action goals.

By advocating a culture of inclusion and prejudice elimination, and acting as the representative of equal voices, these businesses work together to help everybody to deal with issues related to gender equity.

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