The All-China Women's Federation (ACWF), in collaboration with UN Women and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), held Together for an Equal Tomorrow: Workshop on Gender Equality Laws and Policies, in Beijing on March 31, 2023.

Huang Xiaowei, Vice-President and First Member of the Secretariat of the ACWF, and Vice-Chairperson of the National Working Committee on Children and Women, under the State Council (NWCCW), attended.

During her address to the workshop, Huang said the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, attaches great importance to the development of women's undertakings, adheres to the basic State policy of gender equality, and systematically integrates the protection of women's rights and interests into the enacting of laws and regulations. By doing so, the advancement of gender equality and women's all-round development is regarded as the country’s will, and as a social action to meet the people's aspirations for a better life, thus advancing women's development to a new level. The 20th CPC National Congress (held in October 2022) drew a magnificent blueprint for the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation through a Chinese path to modernization, and provided the fundamental guidance for high-quality development of women and children in the new era.

Huang noted President Xi proposed the Global Civilization Initiative in March to advance modernization worldwide and promote the progress of human civilization. China has been a staunch supporter and contributor to the cause of the UN.

President Xi attended the High-level Meeting on the 25th Anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women, held at the UN headquarters in New York on October 1, 2020. Xi said "We support the UN in making women's development a priority" and China planned "to make women-related targets early harvest results of its 2030 Agenda." China is willing to enhance communications and cooperation with the UN, work together to advocate common values of mankind, and make greater contributions to promoting gender equality, advancing global women's development, and building a community with a shared future for mankind, Huang added.

Smriti Aryal, Head of the Office for UN Women China, and Justine Coulson, UNFPA's Representative to China, delivered speeches during which they outlined the significance of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and the measures the UN System in China has taken to advance gender equality. They both praised China for the efforts taken and achievements reached in safeguarding women’s rights and interests and in fostering women's development. They said the UN is willing to continue strengthening its cooperation with China, to advance gender equality worldwide and create a better future.

Lin Yi, Vice-President and Member of the Secretariat of the ACWF, presided over the workshop. Officials from trade unions, the youth and women's affairs department, under the Social Development Affairs Committee of the National People's Congress, and from the NWCCW Office, outlined amendments to the Law of the People's Republic of China on the Protection of Rights and Interests of Women, and on the implementation of the China National Program for Women's Development (2021-2030).

Approximately 80 participants attended the workshop. The participants included representatives from 10 UN agencies in China — International Labor Organization, World Health Organization, UNFPA, Food and Agriculture Organization, United Nations Development Programme, United Nations Children's Fund, United Nations Industrial Development Organization, UN Women, United Nations Human Settlements Programme, and International Organization for Migration — and representatives from 17 agencies in China, including NWCCW.

(Women of China English Monthly)