机构介绍 
- It is a great privilege and an honor to participate in the work of the national seminar to follow-up to CEDAW concluding observations. It is for the first time when we meet to discuss how best the UN can help the government of China meet its reporting obligations to support CEDAW implementation.
- We see our primary role today as attentive listeners – to hear from you what the United Nations in China can do to enhance its support to the Government in achieving its targets in empowering women and promoting gender equality.
- Over the past decades China has made considerable progress in improving the status of women. However, there is no country in the world yet which is free from gender gaps and disparities. We are aware of challenges faced by China today on its way to overcome gender inequalities. Although comprehensive data to assess the status of women as compared to men is scarce, available evidence points to a number of critical areas such as women’s access to resources such as income, land and property, or their representation and participation in decision-making, whether in business or government. Women’s employment tends to concentrate in informal and low-wage sectors which leave them insecure and vulnerable to exploitation and abuse. In poor and low income areas, education for girls remains to be an issue which seriously limits their life opportunities. Imbalanced sex ratio at birth and high female suicide rates represent complex social phenomena and manifest grave gender based inequalities. Inequality of opportunities and unequal treatment across gender is both inequitable and inefficient, and has practical consequences for the well-being of society, the efficiency of the economic system and more generally on economic development and poverty. Convention on Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination provides overarching framework to address these issues effectively.
- We are here to help you. The United Nations attach highest priority to gender equality and empowerment of women. Addressing gender concerns as an issue of women’s rights and social justice is our mandate, it is as such is a part of the United Nations Development Assistance Framework in China. The United Nations see gender equality as a powerful investment for development which is truly equitable and balanced due to social, economic and political effects on human development. These goals and aspirations are compatible with the China’s own vision of development perspectives such as achievement of all-round harmonious society and new socialist countryside.
- In order to effectively assist its member-states to achieve their gender equality targets, the United Nations adopted two-fold strategy: mainstreaming gender perspective into everything what the UN does, but primarily its policies and programs, and support to gender specific initiatives.
- The goals of gender equality require concerted efforts of the whole society, not only women themselves. They need to be dealt with in holistic manner that unites efforts of the government, civil society and international community. From this perspective, this seminar provides a unique opportunity to further upscale cooperation between the UN and the government of China, by opening wider prospects for greater, even more effective and efficient collaboration and strengthened cooperation based on the past and on-going work.
- We appreciate political will demonstrated by the government in addressing gender inequalities through adoption of national plans and programs to advance women, as well as through following reporting requirements under Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), Beijing Platform for Action (BPFA), Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and other international commitments.
- As we are discussing the ways to support the government of China in meeting its international commitments, we see opportunities in bringing coordinated approach practiced by the UN Theme Group on Gender, consolidating comparative advantages of UN agencies towards achieving greater impact. Our efforts aim to create enabling environment for Chinese women, both from rural and urban areas, and representing various ethnic groups, to enjoy their rights and fundamental freedoms thus strategically improving their status.
- We see the way to achieve it through capacity building and advocacy, improved awareness, knowledge and understanding; dialogue and joint efforts of the government, civil society, private sector and all other partners.
- As a result of joint efforts, we expect the status of Chinese women to be substantially improved, so that they can enjoy their rights, through greater awareness, improved capacities, through initiatives that will address gender equality and women’s rights concerns and integrate them into the mainstream of policy-making process.
We are looking forward to hearing from you your views and suggestions on where you see the areas of UN assistance.
