Beijing (TDI): Chinese President Xi Jinping, in his keynote address at the opening ceremony of the Global Leaders’ Meeting on Women, emphasized the urgency of advancing women’s all-round development, on Monday.
He also reaffirmed China’s commitment to the global women’s cause. The event marks the 30th anniversary of the historic Fourth World Conference on Women held in Beijing, a pivotal moment that shaped international gender equality policies.
President Xi opened his speech by recalling the significance of the 1995 Beijing Conference and its landmark Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, which set the ambitious agenda of “Action for Equality, Development and Peace.”
Over the past three decades, he said, remarkable progress has been made worldwide in promoting gender equality, with 189 countries ratifying the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women and enacting nearly 1,600 laws protecting women’s rights.
“Women play an important role in creating, promoting and carrying forward human civilization,” Xi said. “Equality between men and women is now a universal consensus and a priority on the United Nations development agenda.”
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Despite these advances, President Xi highlighted persistent challenges: over 600 million women and girls continue to be affected by war and conflict, approximately 10 percent live in extreme poverty, and gender-based violence and discrimination remain widespread.
He underscored the growing gender digital divide as a barrier to progress and called for intensified global efforts to accelerate women’s development in all dimensions.
To address these challenges, President Xi put forth four major proposals:
- Create an enabling environment for women’s growth, emphasizing peace and security as prerequisites for development and pledging stronger protection for women in conflict-affected areas.
- Drive high-quality development in the women’s cause, ensuring women benefit fully from economic globalization, technological innovation, and green development initiatives.
- Strengthen governance frameworks by improving laws, policies, and social environments that protect women’s rights and foster equal participation in political and social governance.
- Enhance global cooperation to empower women in international governance and promote inclusive platforms for exchange and mutual learning, with a focus on developing countries.
President Xi also highlighted China’s own strides in women’s empowerment, pointing to historic poverty reduction efforts that benefited 690 million women and notable improvements in maternal health.
He praised Chinese women’s increasing presence in economic, scientific, and political spheres, noting that women constitute over 40 percent of the workforce and more than half of internet startup founders in China.
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To further support global women’s advancement, China announced a series of new commitments, including a US$10 million donation to UN Women, a US$100 million fund for development cooperation projects targeting women and girls, 1,000 new livelihood programs prioritizing female beneficiaries, and plans to invite 50,000 women to China for training and exchange.
The establishment of a Global Center for Women’s Capacity Building was also unveiled, aimed at training female talents worldwide.
Concluding his address, President Xi invoked an ancient Chinese saying: “Steadfast dedication yields an enduring fragrance,” urging the international community to carry forward the spirit of the Beijing World Conference on Women and jointly create a better future grounded in gender equality.
The Global Leaders’ Meeting on Women is set to continue over the coming days with a focus on collaborative strategies to accelerate women’s development globally.
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