On May 29, 2026, the Centre for Rural Development in Central Vietnam (CRD) – department of Hue University of Agriculture and Forestry organized a training workshop titled “Integrating Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GEDSI) into Project Activities” in Hue City. The activity was conducted within the framework of the “Solutions and Actions for People and Nature (SAPAN)” Project, co-implemented with the World Wide Fund for Nature in Vietnam (WWF-Vietnam).
The workshop brought together 45 delegates, including representatives from partner agencies and organizations implementing the project (WWF-Vietnam, CRD, GreenViet, FOSDA, SRD, and Tropenbos); representatives of Commune People’s Committees in the project sites; leaders of the Women’s Union, Farmers’ Union, Youth Union and representatives from Community Forest Management Boards of A Luoi 1, A Luoi 4, A Luoi 5, and Long Quang communes.
In the opening ceremony, the CRD representative emphasized the significant role of integrating gender equality and social inclusion into biodiversity conservation, natural resource management, and sustainable livelihood development. It’s not only ensuring the equal participation of women, ethnic minorities, and vulnerable groups to enhances project effectiveness but also provides these groups with equitable access to resources and benefits from conservation initiatives.
At the workshop, delegates were provided with an overview of the SAPAN project and basic concepts related to gender and social inclusion in conservation work. A GEDSI experts presented foundational concepts, principles, and common challenges in promoting gender equality and the participation of marginalized groups in natural resource management.
During the morning breakout group session, participants worked together to identify the barriers and challenges facing women, ethnic minorities, and vulnerable groups when participating in local biodiversity corridor management. Many opinions highlighted that social customs, limited skills, restricted access to information, and fewer opportunities to join decision-making processes continue to affect these groups’ level of participation in conservation efforts. In the second discussion session in the afternoon, groups focused on solutions to promote sustainable livelihoods and build GEDSI implementation capacity for stakeholders. Numerous practical proposals were implemented, such as increasing women’s participation in Community Forest Management Boards, designing tailored training programs to meet specific group needs, offering livelihood support to vulnerable households, and embedding GEDSI indicators into project action plans, monitoring, and evaluation framework.
At the closure of the workshop, delegates agreed on key recommendations to strengthen gender equality and social inclusion throughout the SAPAN project implementation. These contributions will serve as the foundation for refining project work plans, ensuring that interventions are carried out in an equitable, inclusive, and sustainable manner, ultimately boosting biodiversity conservation effectiveness and improving local livelihoods.
The workshop marks an important step forward in promoting a human-centered approach to conservation, while reaffirming stakeholder’s commitment to build up nature conservation solutions tied to social equity and sustainable development.
HIGHLIGHTS OF ACTIVITIES
