 |
| Zhang Jianhao, Executive Vice-President of Guangdong Association of Women Entrepreneurs |
I hope women's strengths will become more eye-catching in global development, and that a consensus about gender equality will be reached around the world. I also hope the meeting will inject hope and confidence into the beautiful future of mankind.
The autumn of 1995 has a significant meaning for me. Why? That year, I attended the Fourth World Conference on Women, in Beijing. The event harnessed global women's strengths, and it started a new chapter in women's development. During the past 30 years, women's contributions to social development have been increasingly noticeable.
My hometown is Yangji, a village in Yuexiu, a district in Guangzhou, capital of south China's Guangdong Province. During the NGO Forum on Women of the Fourth World Conference on Women, I gave a speech about how I evolved into a rural entrepreneur from an ordinary farmer. I am the daughter of Yangji. Making my hometown prosperous has always been my dream. When I was elected head of the village, by my fellow villagers, I had an obligation to do my best.
After the conference, I shared my experiences during many public lectures in Guangdong, and I continued to lead my fellow villagers in pursuing better lives. Since my retirement as head of the village, I have continued to work with the association, and I have participated in several poverty-alleviation and public-welfare programs.
Women's cause has developed fast in China, especially since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, held in 2012. The fundamental national policy of gender equality has been fully implemented, and the legal system that safeguards women's rights and interests has been improved.
I hope the Global Leaders' Meeting on Women will help promote women's development in tandem with social and economic progress, and that it will help ensure efforts will continue being made to improve women's performances in various areas, including scientific and technological innovation, and employment and entrepreneurship.
Photos from Interviewee
(Source: Women of China)
Editor: Wang Shasha
