UN Women Executive Director visits China
Date:
UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka will visit China from 12-15 December. During her visit, the Executive Director will meet with government authorities, the All-China Women's Federation, UN country team representatives, media and private sector members.
Present in China since 1998, UN Women works in partnership with the governments, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), donors, communities and networks to advance gender equality, in line with China’s commitment to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The programmes in place include training future policy makers in gender-sensitive research and policy making; making gender data and women’s issues visible through generation of evidence-based data, statistics and reports; fostering an environment for equal employment and career development opportunities, challenging barriers that women face; and empowering rural women through climate change resilience.
During the visit, the Executive Director will discuss UN Women partnership with China for bolstering innovative programmes and strategies for gender equality and women's empowerment. A range of issues will be discussed, from the upcoming 25th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action—adopted during the Fourth Women’s World Conference in China in 1995—to the opportunity to support China’s leadership in South–South cooperation and incorporating a strong gender lens into all initiatives. The Executive Director will also have two dialogues with youth and civil society organizations on the advancements and challenges faced inside and outside China on women’s economic empowerment, political participation and Ending Violence against Women, among others.
Highlights
15 December
On her final day in China, Ms. Mlambo-Ngcuka participated in a dialogue with Chinese youth at Beijing Royal School, where she launched the Peer Leadership Project Phase II, which will include a new online curriculum and series of exchanges and trainings at the regional level. The project will expand the prevention-oriented peer education model to include wider gender equality themes providing the next generations of leaders, thinkers, creators and educators the tools and knowledge needed to build a gender equal future for all. National UN Women Ambassador, Tong Dawei also joined as a speaker for the 800 participating students.
14 December
Ms. Mlambo-Ngcuka met with Yang Ning, Vice Administrator at the General Administration of Sports to discuss how sports can improve health, gender equality and help to challenge gender-based discrimination, as part of the values to be promoted during the upcoming 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing. During the conversation, Vice Administrator Yang outlined a target to increase the percentage of Chinese female athletes in the 2020's Olympic Game to 61 per cent. The Executive Director highlighted UN Women's previous collaboration and partnership with the International Olympic Committee and expressed UN Women’s support to further collaborate to keep working to level the playing field for women and girls, while recognizing and celebrating women’s achievements in sports.
Later in the day, the Executive Director visited China Women’s University to speak with local students. She emphasized the opportunity that this generation has to be the first to change power relations between women and men and to achieve sustainable gender equality for the world, as well as to be the last generation with the possibility to save the environment.
Following a day of meetings, Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka hosted dinner with representatives from women’s civil society organizations and academia.
13 December
The Executive Director met with representatives of the Chinese Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security and Wang Xiaotao, Chairman of China's International Development and Cooperation Agency to discuss UN Women's contribution to China’s leading South-South collaboration through the Aid Fund, including two potential projects in Morocco and Ethiopia, as well as UN Women's participation in China's Belt and Road Initiative, and its upcoming Summit, early next year in Beijing.
The Executive Director also hosted a dinner from Chinese business leaders and private sector representatives.
12 December
On the first day of her visit to the Chinese capital, UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka met with Shen Yueyue, President of the All China Women's Federation to discuss ways to strengthen collaboration in areas including addressing domestic violence and promoting greater women’s political participation, in cooperation with relevant Chinese Ministries, and as part of Chinese South-South cooperation initiatives.
During the encounter, both the President and the Executive Director shared stories on women’s empowerment that have personally inspired them and raised the importance of putting women in the center of the development agenda, as a key step to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.
Following the meeting the Executive Director visited the China Women's museum.
