The All-China Women's Federation (ACWF), in collaboration with UN Women, held the "Supporting women in coping with COVID-19 and recovering from socio-economic impacts of the pandemic" Program Closure Meeting and Women-led SMEs Post-epidemic Recovery Empowerment Seminar (hereinafter referred to the seminar) on May 10, 2022.

With the theme of "advancing women's entrepreneurship and innovation, creating a sustainable future together," the seminar contained two roundtable meetings discussing the topics "advancing women's entrepreneurship and innovation and sustainable development" and "enhancing business continuity and resilience of women-led SMEs." More than 80 participants including high-level officials from Asian and African countries, United Nations agencies and representatives from relevant domestic government departments and organizations attended the meetings online. They exchanged views on women's participation in the combat against the COVID-19 and work resumption, the measures to support women-led SMEs' development, and ways to strengthen international cooperation in the fight against the pandemic.

Huang Xiaowei, Vice-President and First Member of the Secretariat of the ACWF, and also Vice Chairperson of the National Working Committee on Children and Women under the State Council, addressed the seminar's opening ceremony.

To minimize the impact of COVID-19 on women and to promote international anti-epidemic cooperation concerning women's affairs, the ACWF and UN Women launched the "Supporting women in coping with COVID-19 and recovering from socio-economic impacts of the epidemic" Program in May 2021. Focusing on women-led SMEs in Tianjin and Wuhan, the program's implement agencies conducted quick field research, formulated recovery plans and carried out emergency-management training to help SMEs participate in post-epidemic economic recovery and development.

Activities held in Tianjin and Wuhan included the 16th Tianjin Women's Entrepreneurship and Innovation Contest in Science and Technology, the Third Women's Entrepreneurship Contest in Wuhan, the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Women's Development Dialogue, and Women Entrepreneurship Sharing Salon, etc. Through the program, tools to elevate enterprises' businesses continuity and applications for sharing enterprises' information were developed, an experts' pool was established and online training courses were provided.

During her speech, Huang said that under the strong leadership of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, China has coordinated epidemic prevention and control with economic and social development. With the commitment to put people and human life above all else, China has insisted on science-based and accurate measures and the dynamic zero-COVID policy in its efforts to combat the pandemic. China has attached equal importance to both epidemic prevention and control and the country's development.

In his statement at the High-level Meeting on the 25th Anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women held in October 2020, President Xi raised China's proposals, the first point of which was to minimize the impact of COVID-19 on women. Xi stressed that we need to place the protection of women's and girls' rights and interests high on the agenda of both public health and economic reopening. In particular, we need to create more job opportunities for women.

Huang said the CPC and Chinese Government have issued a series of policies and taken various measures to safeguard women and children's health, help SMEs cope with difficulties and promote high-quality economic development. Women's federations at all levels have supported women in entrepreneurship, innovation and work resumption. In the face of the intertwined impact of major changes in the world and the COVID-19 pandemic, both unseen in a century, countries should pay great attention to women's urgent needs, continuously issue policies that promote women's development, take effective measures to support women's entrepreneurship and innovation and their participation in high-quality development, and to deepen international exchanges and cooperation for the purpose of building a better world with gender equality and inclusive development.

Smriti Aryal, Head of the UN Women China Office, said the COVID-19 pandemic brought severe challenges to women's development, and the international community ought to deal with those challenges together. She appreciated China for its efforts and achievements in epidemic prevention and control, as well as in the advancement of women’s overall development. UN Women, Aryal added, would enhance its cooperation with the Chinese Government and with the ACWF to promote gender equality worldwide.

Siyabonga Cyprian Cwele, South African Ambassador to China, James Kimonyo, Rwanda's Ambassador to China, Lenny Nurharyanti Rosalin, Deputy Minister of Women's Empowerment and Child Protection of Indonesia, and Stephen Kargbo, Representative of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) to China, outlined their countries/agencies' practices for caring women’s health and empowering SMEs led by women.

Based on their work experiences, participants from China shared Chinese women and women's organizations' participation in epidemic prevention and control, entrepreneurship and innovation, and economic and social development. Attendees spoke of China's successful experiences in coordinating epidemic prevention and control and the advancement of economic development. They also praised Chinese women and women's federations for their positive roles, and they agreed that women's empowerment and participation in economic and social development is a key strategy for minimizing the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The participants reinforced their common aspiration to deepen communications and cooperation in women's affairs, to make joint efforts to enhance women's participation in anti-epidemic efforts and economic development, promoting to build a community with a shared future for mankind.

(Women of China English Monthly)