Beijing Women's Federation

The Side Meeting of 47th Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council, themed on Protecting Women's Rights and Promoting High Quality Development, is held in Beijing. [Beijing Women's Federation]

 

To participate in the agenda under the framework of the United Nations Human Rights Council, enhance China's international right of speech, give full play to the advantages of capital's resources, expand the international influence of women's organizations in Beijing, and promote exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations, Beijing Women's Federation (BWF), the Beijing NGO Network for International Exchanges and the Beijing International Peace Culture Foundation organized on July 14 a side meeting of the 47th Session of the UN Human Rights Council themed on Protecting Women's Rights and Promoting High Quality Development.

 

More than 100 people from women's organizations in the United States, the Netherlands, Mauritius, Nepal, Greece, Sri Lanka, Japan and other countries attended the event online and offline. Experts, scholars and representatives of international organizations gathered to share successful cases, speak up for women's rights and advance gender equality and women's empowerment.

 

The China NGO Network for International Exchanges and the China Family Planning Association offered strong support to the meeting.

 

Rise to Pandemic's Challenges Together, Unite to Build Better World for All

 

(From left to right) Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights Nada Al-Nashif, BWF Vice-President Chen Yanping, Vice-Chairman of the Beijing NGO Network for International Exchanges Dai Jianjun, and President of the Beijing International Peace Culture Foundation Li Ruohong address the meeting. [Beijing Women's Federation]

 

Nada Al-Nashif, UN Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, noted that the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has exacerbated the gender gap so that now more than 100 years of further efforts may be needed to close the gap, according to the Global Gender Gap Report 2021.

 

She called upon the international community to adopt measures to ensure that women play an active role in development, and emphasized that only policies based on human rights that promote equality, inclusiveness and participation can bring about sustainable development.

 

Chen Yanping, Vice-President of the BWF, said that the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the Chinese Government have always given priority to the liberation and development of women and the realization of gender equality, and have blazed a path of women's development featuring socialism with Chinese characteristics.

 

She indicated that the COVID-19 pandemic has posed a great challenge to the protection and development of women's rights and interests around the world, and underlined the importance of the all-round effective protection of women's rights, a prerequisite for meeting the high-quality development goals for the global women's cause.

 

Chen also expressed her hope that this meeting will lead to a long-term communication and cooperation mechanism with women's organizations around the world to promote exchanges and mutual learning.

 

Dai Jianjun, Vice-President of the Beijing NGO Network for International Exchanges, introduced Beijing's measures to expand exchanges with international NGOs, establish platforms for cultural and people-to-people exchanges and discussions on international issues, and coordinate social organizations to express their desires at the UN sessions.

 

Speaking of this side meeting, Dai said that it is another concrete measure to further protect women's rights and interests and boost international exchanges and cooperation in women's work.

 

In his speech, Li Ruohong, President of the Beijing International Peace Culture Foundation, highlighted the footing of the "peace + 1" pattern, and advocated giving inclusiveness and development opportunities to women across the globe in the progress of the Belt and Road Initiative. He supported empowering women in cultural interactions, and leveraging their wisdom and influence in promoting the world's sustainable development.

 

Beijing's Actions Enlighten Path for Women's Development 

 

(From left to right) Deputy Secretary General of Beijing Family Education Society Liu Guoping, Director of Beijing Women's International Center Li Yue, Dean of the School of Foreign Studies of the University of Science and Technology Beijing Chen Hongwei, and Executive Member of the Beijing Women's Law Research Institute Li Ying speak at the meeting. [Beijing Women's Federation]

 

 

Representatives of women's organizations in Beijing presented their research results and suggestions on family education, women's employment and education and legal construction, and showcased China's achievements in promoting the protection of women's rights and interests and building a harmonious society.

 

Tapping into family education, Liu Guoping, Deputy Secretary General of Beijing Family Education Society and Associate Editor-in-Chief of Parenting Science, shared concrete methods for building Beijing's family education support system, from holding tutoring forums and columns to realize value guidance and setting up a family education curriculum system to providing family education guidance services such as related publications and themed cultivation activities.

 

Li Yue, Director of the Beijing Women's International Center, outlined efforts in these years of women's federations in women's entrepreneurship and innovation, especially those pertaining to the COVID-19 pandemic period.

 

The federations helped women overcome the challenges caused by the pandemic via introducing supportive policies, enhanced women's professional abilities through building a targeted service platform, unleashed women's innovation potential with the help of science and technology, balanced women's social participation by improving the externalities, and promoted mutual development through international cooperation.

 

In addition to offering her own growth stories, Chen Hongwei, Executive Member of the Capital Association of Women Professors and Dean of the School of Foreign Studies at the University of Science and Technology Beijing, said that with access to education Chinese women have undergone tremendous changes in their development path since the founding of the People's Republic of China. Chen believed that elevating the educational level of Chinese women enables them to have more opportunities and greater ability to contribute to social development.

 

Li Ying, Associate Professor of China Women's University and Executive Member of the Beijing Women's Law Research Institute, gave an example of revising the Law on the Protection of Women's Rights and Interests, and pointed out that China has a complete legal system for the protection of women's rights. Heightened and continuous efforts have been made to perfect the laws and regulations, speed up the rule of law and promote gender equality and women's development in China, she added.

 

International Organizations Call for Joint efforts to Protect Women's Rights, Interests

 

President of British health organization Michelin (L, above), Honorary President of the Beijing Association USA Li Hong (R, above), Chairman of the China African Chamber of Commerce in Mauritius Serin (L, below), and Dutch psychologist and sexologist Sandery address the side meeting via video link on July 14. [Beijing Women's Federation]

 

Michelin, President of the British Health Organization, Li Hong, Honorary President of the Beijing Association USA, Serin, Chairman of the Chinese African Chamber of Commerce in Mauritius, Sandery, a psychologist and sexologist from the Netherlands, and other experts introduced experience and practice of different countries in the protection of women' rights and interests online.

 

Michelin appealed for every effort of organizations including the United Nations to eliminate all forms of discrimination against women and protecting women's rights and interests.

 

Li spoke about the achievements and existing problems in the protection of women's rights and interests in the United States in recent years, and put forward suggestions based on her thinking.

 

Speaking of the education of women, Serin said that Mauritius has always attached great importance to the education of its women and guaranteed their right to participate freely and equally in social affairs; and Sandery, from a professional perspective, emphasized the importance of universal sex education, which enables girls to recognize and stand up for their rights during their development and ensures that they will achieve well-being and dignity.

 

Participants of the event said that they have gained inspirations and new ideas on protection and development of women's rights by communicating with experts from various countries. They also agreed that the promotion and protection of human rights can only be achieved through optimizing development in the context of COVID-19's damage to gender inequality, and that only closer cooperation can overcome the severe global challenges posed by the pandemic.

 

They also hoped that this event will deepen cooperation among all parties, and more opportunities will be provided to share experience and practices and boost mutual learning and common development.

 

This meeting also echoed the resolution titled "The contribution of development to the enjoyment of all human rights," which was co-sponsored by China and a number of other countries and adopted at the UN Human Rights Council on July 12. It expressed confidence that countries around the world will strengthen communication and cooperation in the affairs of women's rights and development.