English - CEDAW Southeast Asia

CEDAW and the Law:
vides that consultative conferences be organized to negotiate on the proportion, composition,
and number of people of central agencies, organizations and units to be elected as National
Assembly deputies on the basis of a proposition forwarded by the Standing Committee. 345
Second, the Law on Election to People’s Councils provides:
Article 14
On the basis of the number of the deputies to be elected to the People's Councils, after
consulting with the Standing Board of Viet Nam Fatherland Front Central Committee and
the People's Committees of the same levels, at least ninety five days before the election
day:
(1) The standing bodies of the provincial- and district-level People's Councils shall make
the proposition on the proportion, composition and number of People's Council deputies
to be elected from political organizations, socio-political organizations, social organizations,
economic organizations, people's armed force units and State agencies of the
same levels and administrative units of lower levels, ensuring the appropriate number
of female deputies to the People's Councils; for localities with many ethnic minority groups,
it is necessary to ensure the appropriate number of People's Council deputies being
ethnic minority people.
(2) The standing bodies of the commune-level People's Councils shall make proposition
on the proportion, composition and number of People's Council deputies to be elected
from political organizations, socio-political organizations, social organizations, economic
organizations, people's armed force units and State agencies of the same levels
as well as hamlets and villages (hereinafter referred collectively to as hamlets), population
groups, populations quarters and clusters (hereinafter referred collectively to
as population groups) in their respective localities, ensuring the appropriate number
of female deputies to the People's Councils; for localities with many ethnic minority groups,
it is necessary to ensure the appropriate number of People's Council deputies being
ethnic minority people. (emphasis added)
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Third, Article 11 of the Law on Gender Equality states that one of the measures to promote
gender equality in the field of politics is to ensure the appropriate proportion of the female
National Assembly members and female People’s Committees' members in accordance with
national gender equality target. Article 19(2) of the Law on Gender Equality provides that the
National Assembly, Standing Committee and Government have the authority to stipulate other
measures to promote gender equality, to review implementation, and to decide when the
measures will end.
There are no provisions in all these laws of the appropriate percentage of female
deputies. However, strategies and plans have identified specific targets on women’s participation
in elected positions. Indicators 2 and 3 (Objective 4) of the National Strategy for
Advancement of Women provide: (a) the proportion of female members in the National
Assembly will be at least 30 percent in the 11th National Assembly and 33 percent in the 12th
National Assembly; (b) the proportion of women members of People’s Councils at the
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Law on Election to National Assembly 2001, Article 30
Review of key legal documents and compliance with CEDAW