 |
Amakobe Sande, UNICEF Representative to China |
The Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, which was adopted during the Fourth World Conference on Women, held in Beijing in 1995, has been recognized as the most progressive blueprint for advancing the rights of women and girls. The document has remained central to and has inspired global efforts. China's experience and contribution to South-South Cooperation have also had a profound impact beyond its borders — in ways that resonate closely with UNICEF's mission to uphold the rights of every child.
The Global Leaders' Meeting on Women to be convened in Beijing will provide a powerful opportunity to reflect on three decades of progress for women and girls, to reaffirm global commitments to advancing the rights and well-being of women and girls and to chart a course forward — especially for those still left behind.
I hope this meeting will inspire renewed action and concrete strategies to close persistent gaps in education, health, protection, economic empowerment, and leadership opportunities for girls everywhere. While important gains have been made, progress remains uneven, and new challenges — such as gender gap in the digital economy, limited leadership in climate action, and technology-facilitated violence — continue to affect the advancement of women and girls everywhere.
UNICEF hopes that this meeting can also serve as an opportunity to highlight the vital synergy between the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the most widely ratified international treaty in the world. Drawing on the two instruments together to design concrete policy action and greater investment in the rights of women and girls will have immense power in ensuring that the girl child can grow up in an environment of dignity, equality and protection. UNICEF stands ready to work with the Chinese Government and other partners to deliver on our shared promise that every girl can survive, thrive, learn and be part of a more equitable future.
Photos from Interviewee
Source: Women of China
Editor: Wang Shasha
