The target aims to chieve gender equality by creating conditions and opportunities for women and men to participate equally and enjoy benefits across all areas of social life, thereby contributing to the country’s sustainable development, particularly in the context of biodiversity conservation and sustainable use.

The National target were primarily derived from the Government's overarching commitment to gender equality as articulated in Resolution No. 28/NQ-CP, which aims to narrow gender gaps and ensure equal participation and benefits for women and men across all sectors of society. 

This objective is further reinforced by Decision No. 622/QĐ-TTg of 2017 on the National Action Plan for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which adopts Sustainable Development Goal 5 on achieving gender equality and empowering women and girls.

Additional policy documents, including Decision No. 896/QĐ-TTg of 2022 approving National Strategy on Climate Change to 2050 and Decision No. 1055/QĐ-TTg of 2020 promulgating the National Climate Change Adaptation Plan for 2021–2030, with a vision to 2050, integrate gender equality into climate change adaptation, disaster risk management, and capacity-building, emphasizing the participation and empowerment of women. 

The target is also supported by the 2024 Law on Land, which prohibits gender discrimination in land management and use, and the 2020 Law on Environmental Protection, which recognizes gender equality as a guiding principle of environmental protection. 

By consolidating these complementary policy commitments, a single national target was formulated to reflect Vietnam's cross-sectoral approach to advancing gender equality as an integral component of sustainable development.

References:

Resolution No. 28/NQ-CP dated 3 March 2021 promulgating the National Strategy on Gender Equality for the period 2021-2030 (in Vietnamese) https://chinhphu.vn/?pageid=27160&docid=202742&tagid=6&type=1 

Decision No. 622/QD-TTg dated 10 May 2017 promulgating the National Action Plan for implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (in Vietnamese) https://vanban.chinhphu.vn/default.aspx?pageid=27160&docid=189713 

Decision No. 896/QD-TTg dated 26 July 2022 approving the National Climate Change Strategy to 2050 (in Vietnamese)  https://vanban.chinhphu.vn/?pageid=27160&docid=206254 

Decision No. 1055/QD-TTg dated 20 July 2020 promulgating the National Adaptation Plan for the period 2021-2030, with a vision to 2050 (in Vietnamese) https://vanban.chinhphu.vn/default.aspx?pageid=27160&docid=200561 

Law on Land No. 31/2024/QH15 dated 18 January 2024 (in Vietnamese) https://chinhphu.vn/?pageid=27160&docid=211189&classid=1&typegroupid=3 

Law on Environmental Protection No. 72/2020/QH14 dated 17 November 2020 (in Vietnamese)  https://vanban.chinhphu.vn/?pageid=27160&docid=202613 

• Issuing and implementing a wide range of legal and policy instruments, including the National Strategy on Gender Equality for the period 2021–2030 (Resolution No. 28/NQ-CP of 2021), which sets out specific targets for women's representation across different sectors and mainstreaming gender equality into environmental policies;
• Strengthening and improving the effective implementation and enforcement of policies and legislation to promote gender equality and enhancing the rights of women and girls;
• Conducting communication and awareness-raising activities for heads of agencies, families, and society on gender equality, with a focus on localities and sectors where gender inequalities remain significant;
• Increasing women's participation in political leadership and decision-making;
• Ensuring gender equality in the economy, labor and employment; 
• Developing and implementing models to support and promote gender equality and prevent and respond to gender-based violence;
• Implementing comprehensive measures to address the impacts of crises and pandemics on the achievement of gender equality;
• Strengthening international cooperation on gender equality and women's empowerment.

The Vietnamese Government's viewpoints in developing the National Strategy on Biodiversity to 2030, with a vision toward 2050 (NBSAP, 2022) and the National Strategy on Gender Equality for the 2021-2030 period are in line with Section C of the framework, including:

Gender equality is a fundamental human right and a key driver for sustainable development; ensuring equal participation of women and men in all areas of social life is essential for achieving the three objectives of the Convention. Biodiversity conservation and sustainable use must be inclusive, ensuring that all people, particularly women, youth, and vulnerable groups, have equal opportunities to contribute to and benefit from biodiversity conservation efforts.

These considerations are reflected not only in the objectives, contents, key tasks, and key solutions of the NBSAP, but also in the other aforementioned strategies, plans, and programs. Specifically:

The rights of women and girls, as well as their access to land and natural resources, are protected through legal frameworks. Equal participation in decision-making processes related to biodiversity conservation is guaranteed.

Vietnam's NBSAP and other strategies, plans and programs emphasize integration of gender equality in biodiversity conservation and sustainable use.

Based on national circumstances, priorities and capabilities, the Government of Vietnam has set targets of 60% of state agencies with female leaders by 2025 (75% by 2030) and 27% of business owners being women by 2025 (30% by 2030).

The target aligns with international agreements or instruments and directly contributes to GBF-G-D, Target 23 of the Convention.

The target aims to ensure gender equality and a gender-responsive approach for biodiversity action through legal and policy frameworks that guarantee equal participation, access to land and natural resources, and decision-making power for women and men, covering all elements of GBF Target 23. Specifically, Vietnam has established the Law on Gender Equality (2006), the National Strategy on Gender Equality 2021-2030, the Land Law 2024 (prohibiting gender discrimination in land management), and the integration of gender perspectives into environmental and climate change policies. These frameworks ensure that all women and girls have equal opportunities and capacity to contribute to the three objectives of the Convention, including full, equitable, meaningful, and informed participation in biodiversity-related decision-making processes.

UNDP Vietnam and WWF Vietnam 

Additional means needed:

- Strengthen capacity building and technical training for women, youth and local communities.

- Allocate dedicated financial resources for gender-responsive biodiversity programs.

- Enhance coordination between agencies responsible for gender equality and biodiversity conservation.

- Increase investment in data collection and analysis on differentiated impacts of biodiversity policies.

- Promote women's leadership and participation in biodiversity-related decision-making.

- Strengthen international cooperation for technical and financial support.