CWU, CUC Co-host UNESCO Joint Chair on Media, Gender

Attendees at the unveiling ceremony [China Women's University]

A ceremony was held at China Women's University (CWU) in Beijing on October 8 to mark the opening of the UNESCO Joint Chair on Media and Gender and the forum on "Female Development and Cultural Communication."

The ceremony drew the attendance of Marielza Oliveira, director of the UNESCO office in Beijing; Mu Hong, director of the Liaison Department of the All-China Women's Federation (ACWF); Li Mingshun, secretary of the CWU Party Committee; Liu Liqun, president of the CWU; Chen Wenshen, secretary of the Party Committee at the Communication University of China (CUC); a dozen experts in the fields of gender studies and media; and 160 teachers as well as students from the two universities.

Speaking at the forum, Mu noted that media is crucial to the dissemination of advanced concepts on gender equality, the building of a gender-based social culture with an emphasis upon inclusiveness, the publicity of stories related to Chinese women and their growth, and the promotion of dialogue between China and the rest of the world.

Mu emphasized that the cooperation between CWU and CUC in the sponsorship of such an event as a joint chair on media was crucial to the further development of relevant disciplines at CWU. She continued that the initiative would also promote inter-university collaboration and innovation, better serve national development strategies and women's growth, deepen international cooperation and increase international influence.

She called on the two universities to make full use of their personal advantages, conduct deeper studies of the interrelations between media and the development of women, make the voice and stories of China and Chinese women heard by more people, and contribute their efforts to the building of an inclusive culture, the integration of gender perspectives into global governance, the implementation of gender equality and the construction of a community with a shared future for mankind.

Chen said that the collaboration between the two universities was a landmark event in the development of the joint chair on media and gender. He added that they would further expand their common ground in disciplinary building, academic studies and social services, and work together to boost their social and international influences in higher education, information and media, and the development of women's affairs.

Oliveira gave high praise to the two universities' achievements in the promotion of the joint chair on media and gender. She pointed out that the cooperation would further strengthen China's capacity building on the issue and inject a stimulus into the realization of gender equality as well as the empowerment of women with an emphasis upon media and telecommunication.

Li said that the cooperation was an important opportunity for his university to live up to its mission, seek inter-disciplinary collaborations and innovation. He pledged that CWU would work more closely with CUC and draw upon personal resources in a move to further enlarge the scope of their academic studies and give full play to the functions of media in better serving the research and innovation in the sector of gender equality.

Liu urged the two universities to strengthen their cooperation, promote the education of media and gender, and make joint contributions to the implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Moreover, four specially invited part-time researchers, including Li Ruiying, a famous anchor from CCTV (China Central Television), and Yu Dan, a well-known scholar of traditional Chinese culture from Beijing Normal University, gave separate lectures in relation to the improvement of women's media literacy, the research and practices of media and women-oriented studies, self-recognition and reflections of the roles played by female media practitioners, and the historical mission as well as applicable research of women's development and cultural communication.

According to organizers, the chair on media and gender, which is the first such initiative to conduct research on information dissemination and gender in China, has received great support from UNESCO, the ACWF, the Ministry of Education, the National Radio and Television Administration, and other governmental departments since it was established at CUC in September 2005.

It has organized many symposiums and become an important platform for professionals from home and abroad to hold their interactions on topics with common interests.

Attending officials at the unveiling ceremony [China Women's University]

Mu Hong gives a speech at the event. [China Women's University]

Chen Wenshen delivers an address at the gathering. [China Women's University]

Marielza Oliveira at the event [China Women's University]

Li Mingshun [China Women's University]

Liu Liqun [China Women's University]

Four specially invited and part-time researchers pose for a group photo with Liu Liqun at the event. [China Women's University]

Participants pose for a group photo at the end of the gathering. [China Women's University]

(Source: China Women's University / Translated and edited by Women of China)