The Global Leaders’ Meeting on Women in Beijing
From October 13 to 14, 2025, Beijing will host the Global Leaders’ Meeting on Women. This event marks the 30th anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women held in the city. The international community sees this gathering as a vital opportunity to promote true multilateralism, focus on development-oriented cooperation, and accelerate the implementation of key global frameworks such as the Beijing Declaration, the Platform for Action, and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The meeting is anticipated to bring about tangible progress in safeguarding and advancing women’s rights, setting a new milestone in the global movement for women’s development.
Remarkable Progress of Chinese Women
Chinese women have achieved unprecedented success, reflecting the country’s remarkable strides in advancing gender equality. Public policies, legal reforms, and social initiatives have profoundly transformed the lives of Chinese women in areas such as education, healthcare, employment, and political participation. These efforts have significantly improved the living standards and overall well-being of women, with China leading globally in poverty alleviation, education, science, and healthcare.
China has made a significant milestone: 690 million women now share in the nation’s moderately prosperous society. Females make up more than half of all students in higher education, 45.8 percent of sci-tech researchers, over half of entrepreneurs in the internet sector, and 42.3 percent of judges nationwide. Their average life expectancy exceeds 80 years, and the World Health Organization ranks China among the top 10 performers in maternal and child health outcomes.
Sima Bahous, UN Under-Secretary General and UN Women Executive Director, commended China’s achievements in gender equality and women’s empowerment, expressing hope that China will share more of its valuable experience with the world.
China’s Commitment to Global Cooperation
China actively advances the global women’s agenda through collaborative international engagement. The country champions multilateral frameworks and leads regional and global initiatives for women’s development. It upholds the United Nations’ central role and fulfills its obligations under international conventions such as the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women.
Through sustained cooperation with UN agencies on gender equality, China has institutionalized women’s issues within global governance platforms. Since 2012, China has convened nearly 30 ministerial-level women’s conferences through major multilateral forums including APEC, G20, BRICS, and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.
A landmark achievement came in 2015 with the establishment of the UNESCO Prize for Girls’ and Women’s Education – a China-UNESCO joint initiative. To date, this award has honored 20 organizations and projects worldwide. In Tanzania, the prize has helped girls at risk of dropping out return to school; in Costa Rica, digital skills training has empowered women to access new opportunities.
Empowering Women Through Action
China mobilizes resources and implements practical initiatives to advance women’s empowerment in developing countries, significantly improving livelihoods. Through targeted public welfare programs addressing women and children’s health, education, and water security, hundreds of millions of women globally have seen tangible improvements in quality of life.
China has carried out women-focused projects worth $40 million across more than 20 countries, and organized over 100 training sessions for women and children from the Global South. The Luban Workshop, a Chinese vocational training program, has trained 5,499 female students, helping them embark on new career paths.
In Fiji, local woman Seruwaia Kabukabu transformed her community through Juncao cultivation, emerging as a local leader while driving shared prosperity. This poverty-alleviation model has earned the moniker “grass of happiness” across developing economies.
China actively shares its experience in advancing women’s development and supports efforts to enhance women’s status and participation across all sectors, helping address global challenges such as poverty, discrimination, and inequality.
The Legacy of Zhang Guimei
The legacy of Zhang Guimei, principal of Yunnan’s Huaping Girls’ High School, has achieved global recognition. Her campaign educating thousands of impoverished mountain girls features prominently on UNESCO platforms and ranks among the most impactful “girls’ education” case studies worldwide.
Building a Better Future Together
History has shown that there can be no liberation and progress for humanity without the liberation and progress of women. According to reports by UN Women and the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, closing the gender digital divide could benefit 343 million women and girls globally and lift 30 million people out of poverty by 2050. Yet more than 600 million women and girls still face conflict and instability, and 2 billion lack access to social security. Building a world free from gender discrimination and inclusive of all remains an urgent global mission.
Standing at a new historical starting point, China is ready to work hand in hand with all parties, take sustained and accelerated action, and make consistent efforts to advance global gender equality and women’s well-rounded development, thus jointly building a better world for all women, and for all humankind.
