GENEVA, 28th June, 2022 (WAM) -- As a candidate for the membership of the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) for 2023 - 2025, Vietnam will continue prioritising the commitments to promote gender equality and women empowerment, an official has said.

Do Hung Viet, Assistant to the Vietnamese Minister of Foreign Affairs, made the remarks while attending the annual debate on women's rights at the HRC's 50th regular session in Geneva on 27th June.

The Vietnam News Agency (VNA) quoted Viet as highlighting the important role of women, stressing the need to ensuring their rights and development opportunities through specific and effective support policies.

He also shared Vietnam's experience and efforts in this regard, noting that Vietnam is one of the countries with the longest maternity leaves in the world.

At the debate, participants underlined the necessity to build comprehensive and effective policies for ensuring gender equality and rights of women, who are in charge of a huge domestic workload but unpaid or underpaid, which has subsequently affected women's full participation in economic, social, educational, and healthcare activities.