Huang Xiaowei, Vice-President and First Member of the Secretariat of the All-China Women's Federation (ACWF), and Vice-Chairperson of the National Working Committee on Children and Women under the State Council, met representatives of award international jury and laureates of the 2023 UNESCO (the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) Prize for Girls' and Women's Education in Beijing in late September.

Huang spoke of UNESCO's role in enhancing mutual understanding and trust among people around the world and in advancing exchanges and mutual learning of different civilizations. She expressed gratitude to UNESCO for awarding the prize this year to the China Children and Teenagers' Fund (CCTF) for its Spring Bud Project.

Huang said the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, attaches great importance to the development of women and children's cause and to women's work. She noted women and children's undertakings in China have achieved historic progress. Peng Liyuan, wife of Chinese President Xi Jinping and a UNESCO Special Envoy for the Advancement of Girls' and Women's Education, and also a Special Envoy for the Spring Bud Project to Promote Girls' Education in China, plays a significant role in promoting the advancement of girls' and women's education both in China and worldwide, Huang added.

Huang outlined the achievements China has made in women and children's cause in the new era, and ACWF's work on implementing fundamental national policy of gender equality and in advancing girls' and women's education. Huang said the ACWF is willing to promote exchanges and strengthen cooperation with UNESCO and other countries, to jointly promote the development of girls' and women's education in a more fair, inclusive and quality direction, and to make unremitting efforts in building a community with a shared future for mankind.

Chernor Bah, Minister of Information and Civil Education of Sierra Leone, and other award jury representatives and laureates praised China for the historic progress in women and children's cause and sincerely congratulated the Spring Bud Project on winning the prize. They also mentioned the fruitful results in the development of Chinese girls' and women's education, whose experiences are worth promoting to the world. The participants exchanged in-depth views on women's development and the protection of women's lawful rights and interests.

Lin Yi, Vice-President and Member of the Secretariat of the ACWF, and relevant officials from the Secretariat of National Commission of the People's Republic of China for UNESCO, under the Ministry of Education of China, attended the meeting.

(Source: Liaison Department of the All-China Women's Federation)