Beijing Women's Federation

A white paper titled "Fighting COVID-19: China in Action", released by the State Council Information Office on June 7, records China's arduous efforts in fighting novel coronavirus (COVID-19), shares China's role in promoting international solidarity in the fight, and emphasizes the significance of building a global community of health for all. The white paper underscores that women's federations and other people's organizations have become a mass force to help epidemic prevention and control. Implementing the spirit of Chinese President Xi Jinping's important instructions, the Beijing Women's Federation gave full play to its unique role in women's communication during the epidemic period, and made contributions to the capital's foreign exchanges and international cooperation in epidemic prevention and control.

 

Building Consensus about Shared Future

The special webpage produced by the Beijing Women's Federation website for International Women's Day in 2020 collects various wishes of friends from all over the world. 

 

Beijing, as the capital city of China, has been closely watched by the world in terms of its epidemic prevention and control work. Combining International Women's Day with international cooperation against COVID-19, the Beijing Women's Federation produced a webpage and video clips for domestic and overseas visitors, which draw attention of more than 200 media outlets and received more than 4.8 million page views worldwide.

 

Representatives from embassies and consulates of 24 countries in China expressed their empathy and support for Chinese women on the anti-epidemic front line via videos or messages. Among them were ambassadors (charge d'affaires) from Bahrain, Kyrgyzstan, Lithuania, Pakistan and Comoros, and wives of ambassadors from Algeria, Benin, Bulgaria, Georgia, Nigeria, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Syria and Tunisia. Zhang Yajun, President of the Beijing Women’s Federation, expressed her gratitude for their support in her reply, noting that she is firmly confident that the world can work together to achieve final victory against the virus. She also conveyed that the world is a global community of shared future, and a community of security and health for all.

 

Providing International Assistance

Representatives pose for a group photo at the donation ceremony of epidemic prevention supplies to Hungary.

 

As the epidemic prevention and control situation in China improved and with the aggravating trend of multiple and rapid outbreaks in the world, the Beijing Women's Federation has actively participated in global health governance, and tried its best to provide international assistance under the unified arrangement and coordination of the Foreign Affairs Office of the People's Government of Beijing Municipality.

 

The Beijing Women's Federation had mobilized 18 women's groups and social organizations citywide to raise anti-epidemic materials worth more than 260,000 yuans (US $37,102), such as protective clothing, surgical masks and shoe covers by mid-April to support its sister city Budapest, the capital city of Hungary. At the donation ceremony, Bai Sidi, Hungarian Ambassador to China, expressed his sincere gratitude for the efforts made by women's organizations in Beijing in international anti-epidemic work.

 

Sharing Experience

Two H5 interactive games produced for International Day of Families, "One World · Journey to Home" and "One Family · Happiness for All"

 

China has been recognized by global society as a responsible major country for its prevention and control of the epidemic, and has accumulated rich experience in the field. During the critical period of the COVID-19 fight, the Beijing Women's Federation paid close attention to foreign families in Beijing, forwarded to them the foreign language versions of reports on Beijing's epidemic situation and tips on prevention and control, and provided a platform for them to share their anti-epidemic stories.

 

On May 15, International Day of Families, the Beijing Women's Federation cooperated with the local foreign affairs office to roll out activities on the theme "One World One Family." A special English webpage, two H5 interactive games and nine bilingual videos were produced to share the feelings and stories of Chinese and foreign families in the capital during the fight against the epidemic.

 

The webpage has been viewed more than five million times across the world according to the statistics. And some foreign Facebook users commented: "After viewing the pages and videos, I want to visit China after the COVID-19 epidemic." In addition, the Beijing Women's Federation has also launched a special webpage on the its English website to tell women's anti-epidemic stories in Beijing, reflecting China's social situations and sharing China's experience with the world.

 

Working Hand in Hand

Different famous female figures make contributions to the anti-epidemic effort.

 

Since the domestic COVID-19 outbreak, the Hong Kong and Macao representatives and executive members of the Beijing Women's Federation and overseas Chinese women who are concerned about their motherland responded to the call of the Beijing Women's Federation to contribute to the historic battle against the virus.