Sydney (VNA) – Vietnamese Vice President Dang Thi Ngoc Thinh has urged womento take the lead in fostering economic connectivity and internationalcooperation and equip themselves with new skills and knowledge so that they arenot left behind in the digital era and the fourth industrial revolution.

VicePresident Thinh made the remarks at the Opening Ceremony of the 2018 GlobalSummit of Women in Sydney, Australia, on April 26.

Shehighly spoke of what the Global Summit of Women has done over the last threedecades to promote the role of women in all spheres of life, particularly ineconomy, and to strengthen connectivity between women business leaders aroundthe world.

Thinhreiterated the importance of strengthening regional and global connectivity,saying it is an irreversible trend which has brought enormous opportunities tocountries and businesses to fully tap their potential in the global value chain.

Shealso mentioned Vietnam’s contributions to creating shared values of the globaleconomy, particularly through its initiatives within the framework of the APECYear 2017.

Womenhave played a key role in promoting global governance, inclusive andsustainable development and creating economies of shared value, the Vietnameseleader said.

Shehighlighted Vietnamese women’s contributions to the national economy as theymake up 48 percent of the workforce and about 25 percent of CEOs or members ofboards of directors in the country.

Joiningin regional and global connectivity has given Vietnamese women better access tosustainable development models as well as the world’s latest technologies andknowledge, Thinh noted.

Onthe other hand, Vietnamese women are facing many difficulties, including accessto loans and new skills to keep up with the rapid transformation of the globaleconomy, she added.

Thinhwent on to emphasis that promoting gender equality and empowering women shouldalways be a key pillar of the national policies and women should be providedwith better conditions to get access to resources, to expand production and todo business.

The2018 Global Summit of Women is taking place from April 26-28 under the theme“Women: Creating Economies of Shared Value”. The event has gathered more than1,200 delegates from over 65 countries and territories, including governmentleaders, CEOs and executive leaders, business leaders and entrepreneurs from allparts of the world.

Onthe same day, the Vietnamese delegation participated in the MinisterialRoundtable on “Public/Private Sector Partnerships Advancing EconomicOpportunities for Women and Girls”, Mayor’s Forum, and a session about “DoingBusiness with Australia”

TheVietnamese delegation also had a roundtable with Australia on gender equality,in which the two sides shared experiences in promoting gender equality andempowering women and girls and discussed ways to encourage the women’sleadership in business.

The Global Summit of Women has been heldannually for over 27 years. It aims to expandingwomen’s economic opportunities globally through exchanges of working solutionsand creative strategies forged by women leaders in different parts of theworld.  It is a business summit, whose ‘business’ focus is women’s advancementin the global economy.-VNA