Overview

Aus4Equality is Australia's holistic support for Vietnam's gender equality ambitions. It supports Vietnam to achieve its gender equality priorities established in the National Strategy for Gender Equality 2021-2030, and its economic ambitions of becoming a developed country by 2045. This can only be achieved if all of society can contribute to their greatest potential.
Aus4Equality has five significant programs:

1. The Gender Responsive Equitable Agriculture and Tourism (GREAT) program (2017-27) improves the social and economic status of ethnic minority women in the northwest of Vietnam through market system development.
2. The Ending Violence Against Women and Children (EVAWC) program (2021-25) strengthens law and policies, enhances prevention and increases response services.
3. Investing in Women (2016-23) applies innovative approaches to improve women's economic participation as employees and as entrepreneurs, and to influence the enabling environment.
4. Technical support for revision of Vietnam's Gender Equality Law (2022-25) to be inclusive of all genders; and define, prevent and control all forms of gender-based violence and harmful practises.
5. Livelihoods recovery for women in southern Vietnam impacted by COVID-19 (2022-23).

Results to date

• Increased incomes for 15,378 women, majority from ethnic minority communities.
• 1,963 women supported to be elected to leadership positions in community-based groups.
• Contributed to gender responsiveness of the three National Target Programs, namely the Socio-Economic Development of Ethnic Minority and Mountainous Areas; the New Rural Development; and the Sustainable Poverty Reduction.
• Through information campaigns, capacity building for counsellors and a new hotline, over 2,000 callers of women and children were supported in domestic violence situations.
• 22 companies with 188,000 employees improved gender equality through inclusive leadership, flexible work and anti-harassment practices which have been formalised in the companies' internal policies.
• $3.9 million of private finance invested in women-led businesses.

Bilateral Aus4Equality programs are complemented by global and regional program funded by DFAT Canberra addressing: sexual and reproductive health; and workers' rights in the garment industry.

Gender equality is included as a priority across all development investments in Vietnam.