1st LD-Writethru-China Focus: China makes women's federation more inclusive

The Communist Party of China (CPC) plans to reform the All-China Women's Federation (ACWF) to increase the proportion of outstanding women -- especially those from grassroots level -- in the organization's leadership and among delegates to the National Women's Congress.

The General Office of the CPC Central Committee has published a plan for reform of the ACWF, noting that the share of "outstanding women from all ethnicities and all walks of life" should be markedly enlarged among the ACWF leadership and delegates to the congress.

Regarding selection and promotion of ACWF officials, the reform plan emphasizes service experience, saying excellent personnel should be absorbed into the ACWF leadership from wherever they are found. Rigid qualification requirements such as age, academic degree and job titles should be eliminated.

Leadership positions will also be open to part-time candidates and personnel from other departments or organizations who wish to work with ACWF temporarily, but full-time cadres will remain the mainstay, the plan says.

The measure is to encourage more outstanding women from all walks of life to participate in ACWF work.

LED BY THE CPC

Since the 18th CPC National Congress in 2012, the central leadership has given special attention to the cause of women and the ACWF, an organization founded and guided by the CPC. A great number of women have devoted themselves to the CPC cause in every historical epoch.

However, in today's social and political situation, reform of the federation is a must if hundreds of millions of Chinese women are to be united in building "a moderately prosperous society in an all-round way" and realizing the Chinese dream of the rejuvenation of the nation.

The CPC will bring the women's federation into the overall plan for Party building, nurturing more female officials and allocating grants to local federations.

The ACWF should adhere to the core leadership of the CPC, help build clean government, observe Party rules and increase supervision.

The reform plan also urges the ACWF to provide better service to women across the country according to their characteristics and needs.

BETTER SERVICE FOR WOMEN

Women's federations should do more to improve their work for women, better protect women's legitimate rights and expand channels for women to become involved in political affairs, according to the reform plan.

Female representatives are encouraged to participate in consultations on all issues of legislative, state and political consultation, it says.

Women's federations must play their part in formulating new laws and regulations to ensure women and children's rights are protected from the very beginning.

Local women's federations are asked to do more resolve disputes over women's rights, nip conflicts in the bud, and provide women with better education with regard to the rule of law and national unity.

Women's federations should innovate to protect women's rights, and provide assistance for women and children in extreme hardship, left-behind women and children as well as the disabled. A third party will be entrusted with evaluation of the work of the federations.

The structure of women's federations will be adjusted and community-based federations will be set up in both rural and urban areas. According to the reform plan, women are encouraged to work in such organizations, and grassroots women's federations should seek to join hands with other local organizations to better serve women.

In 2015, more than 250,000 women joined such federations, according to figures cited in the plan.

In addition, women's federations are called on to promote the use of Internet among women, it says, adding that women should play their part in cleaning up cyberspace. Endi