Xi to show China’s determination to promote gender equality

Chinese President Xi Jinping and United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon will co-host the “2015 Global Women's Summit” on September 27. This demonstrates China’s persistent efforts to promote global gender equality together with international community in line with the fundamental national policy in this regard.

On the occasion of 20th anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women held in Beijing and completion of the first stage of UN Millennium Development Goals, the presence of President Xi Jinping at this summit is highly regarded by the UN and has attracted extensive attention in the international community.

It indicates that the event will not only be a significant boost for the development of women's causes in China, but also a tremendous inspiration for the cause globally. Based on China's accomplishments in promoting gender equality, there are high expectations of a strong Chinese message at the conference.

Firstly, demonstrating responsibility

With women making up half the human population, gender equality is obviously of importance to the whole world. Since the 1970s, the UN has held four world conferences on women, with the fourth one held in Beijing in 1995. As the host, China pushed for the publication of the milestone "Platform for Action" and "Beijing Declaration", promoting the international pursuit of gender equality to a new stage. Two decades later, the international community still talks of the lasting influence of the "Beijing Conference".

The Beijing Conference certainly speeded up the process of promoting gender equality in China. Men and women living in harmony and sharing common development is not only the consensus of the global society, but also deeply rooted in Chinese traditional culture. It has certainly been relentlessly pursued since the founding of the PRC.

At the Fourth World Conference of Women, China made a solemn commitment that gender equality would be a basic national policy. In the past 20 years, we have been promoting equality of men and women, so that profound changes have occurred in the social and family fields. Women's education and health condition have been further safeguarded. The average life expectancy of women has continuously improved. Laws and policies that protect women's rights have been introduced; and the social mechanism promoting women's constant improvement have been optimized. At the 18th CPC National Congress the national policy of gender equality became part of the ruling party's guiding principle. This pioneering move highlighted the CPC’s responsibility and gave strong impetus to the process of gender equality.

Secondly, acting with resolution for further reforms

Looking back over the past 20 years, women's issue remains one of the most profound social problems. The path towards gender equality reform has a long way to go and faces many challenges.

In the process of economic and social development, women still confront much poverty; the proportion of women’s participation in the management of social and public affairs is still insufficient; the harm to women under severe eco-environment remains deep, while women still face the threat of gender-based violence.

The theme of the Global Summit of Women, “Global Leaders’ Meeting on Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment: A Commitment to Action,” shows that an international consensus for achieving the commitments made at the Beijing conference still needs further actions. It also shows how China is pursuing gender equality: further cultivating and widely establishing advanced gender culture; further eliminating the bondage and shackles of unequal gender culture; and further promoting the determination to women development and social changes.

Thirdly, strengthening cooperation.

Women are the builders of both the family and the society. Women and men construct their homeland and create civilization together. We cannot realize a harmonious and beautiful world without equal and harmonious gender relations. In the face of severe challenges in the field of gender equality around the world, all women should cooperate to promote equality concepts and implementation of a gender equality strategy.

In the process of promoting the post 2015 global changes, there are important tasks to accelerate the fulfillment of Beijing platform for action, the Millennium Development Goals and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and other documents. These require all countries to strengthen joint efforts.

Gender equality involves all social fields, every man and woman, and is closely tied with the attitude and efforts of governments. Twenty years after the Beijing conference, commitments are turning into actions; concepts are turning into reality. This week’s summit, hosted by President Xi himself, definitely will help the world become more harmonious and beautiful via the process of pursuing gender equality.

The writer Liu Liqun is the President of China Women’s University.

The article was written in Chinese and translated by Guo Rui.