Enhancing the capacity of Women Delegates of the People’s Councils

From October 1-7, 2025, 120 women delegates of commune-level People’s Councils and staff of the Viet Nam Women’s Union at the commune level in project areas participated in a series of training courses on policy appraisal, oversight, and the implementation of gender-responsive policies at the local level. 

The two-tier local government model (provincial/city and commune/ward levels) has been officially implemented since July 1 2025. With many responsibilities devolved to the commune level, women delegates of commune-level People’s Councils and Women’s Union staff play a critical role in appraising and overseeing policies, as well as mobilizing and managing resources for the implementation of gender-responsive policies.

Through experiential learning approaches, participants were able to:

• Gain a clear understanding of the functions and responsibilities related to oversight and social accountability of the People’s Councils, People’s Council delegates, and commune-level Women’s Unions within the two-tier local government model.
• Acquire in-depth knowledge of the processes, content, and methods for policy appraisal and oversight at the local level, including the mobilization and management of resources for gender-responsive policy implementation.
• Develop concrete plans to apply oversight skills to real-life situations in their local work.

The training courses were jointly organized by the Quảng Tri Provincial Women’s Union and the Centre for Development and Integration Social Enterprise (CDISE), within the framework of the project “Enhancing the Capacity of Women Delegates of District- and Commune-level People’s Councils in Quảng Tri Province,” with support from Oxfam.