Director-General/Executive Director Ms. Ghada Waly,
Executive Director Ms. Sima Sami Bahous,
Your Excellency Ambassador Annika Markovic,
Ladies and Gentlemen, Friends,
It’s a great pleasure to co-host this thematic event on women with UNODC, the Swedish and other Permanent Missions. 30 years ago, China hosted the Fourth World Conference on Women. The Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action adopted at the Conference became a milestone in the global pursuit of gender equality.
Over the past three decades, China has made historic achievements in women’s development in the spirit of the 1995 Conference. China has upheld gender equality as our basic state policy and carried out national action plans dedicated to the all-round development of women. Countless outstanding women have made their important contributions to Chinese modernization. China has effectively controlled and severely punished crimes against women, safeguarding their legitimate rights and interests. The Chinese government has also built a comprehensive support and protection system for women’s development in education, health, employment and other areas, recognized by the WHO as one of the ten fast-track countries in women’s and children’s health. Women account for over 40 percent of the country’s workforce, and more than half of China’s Internet start-up businesses are set up by women. China has proactively supported the work of UN Women, partnered with UNESCO in setting up the Prize for Girls’ and Women’s Education, helped fellow developing countries in implementing 100 maternal and child health projects, and trained over 200,000 female professionals for more than 180 countries and regions.
Globally, the 1995 Conference has propelled historic progress in advancing women’s development worldwide. 30 years ago, only 12 countries had laws against violence targeting women. Today, 193 countries have enacted 1,583 such laws, and 112 countries have adopted national action plans for women. Societies worldwide have established support systems to narrow gender gaps in education, technology, and other fields. Gender equality and women’s empowerment have also become key goals of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Ladies and Gentlemen, Friends,
In today’s world of intertwined challenges, as humanity’s pursuit of peace, progress and development faces new tests, achieving genuine gender equality and women’s all-round development globally remains an arduous long-term endeavor. It requires all UN Member States to uphold true multilateralism, enhance global cooperation, take accelerated actions, and make enduring efforts to achieve lasting results. We look forward to working with relevant UN agencies and all parties to further protect women’s rights and enable them to contribute their strength and wisdom to improving global governance and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.
As a follow-up to President Xi Jinping’s proposal, in the latter half of this year, China will co-host the Global Leaders’ Meeting on Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment with UN Women in Beijing, to discuss major issues concerning women’s development worldwide, leverage scientific and technological innovation to empower women’s all-round development, and foster practical cooperation to open a new chapter in the global women’s cause—jointly illuminating a brighter future for women.
Over the past 30 years, UNODC has actively advanced women’s rights and interests in the fight against drug-related crimes, corruption and terrorism. Holding this thematic event on women at the UN Headquarters in Vienna not only commemorates the 30th anniversary of the 1995 Conference through the platform of UNODC, but also serves as a prelude to the upcoming Global Leaders’ Meeting in China. This two-day conference, with its rich agenda, will serve as a key platform to review progress, address challenges, and plan future actions in implementing the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action in the judicial field. I wish this event a resounding success!