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Statement by the Chinese Delegation at the Third Committee of the 69th Session of General Assembly on Agenda Item: Advancement of Women

2014-10-14 04:48

Madam Chair,

The Chinese delegation aligns itself with the statement made by the representative of Bolivia on behalf of the Group of 77 and China.

The year 2015 is the target year for the realization of the MDGs, the beginning year of the post-2015 Development Agenda, and the 20th anniversary of the Beijing World Conference on Women. The international community should seize this opportunity to strengthen political commitment, mobilize resources, and adopt effective measures to comprehensively promote the advancement of women worldwide.

First, we should incorporate the advancement of women in the post-2015 Development Agenda. China is in favor of listing advancement of women as a separate target in the post-2015 Development Agenda with priority attention to women’s economic development and poverty reduction. In designating targets related to employment, health, and education, women’s special needs should be adequately reflected. Full consideration should also be given to specific situations and different stages of development of different countries. While working to formulate the post-2015 Development Agenda, countries must not lessen their efforts to realize the MDGs and should continue to strive for the attainment of unmet MDG goals such as the reduction of maternal mortality. International cooperation in women-related endeavors should be strengthened and financial and technical assistance to developing countries effectively increased, so as to promote further the advancement of women.

Second, we should commemorate Beijing+20 in a meaningful way. The 12 Critical Areas of Concern for the advancement of women identified in the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action adopted at the Fourth World Conference on Women held in Beijing in 1995 is a guideline document for the advancement of women worldwide. China welcomes the series of commemorative activities organized by UN Women on the occasion of Beijing+20, and appreciates the active participation of all countries in the comprehensive review and assessment of Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action upon its 20th anniversary. China hopes that these activities will further galvanize political consensus and point the way forward for the future development of women’s advancement worldwide.

Third, women’s rights and interests must be protected in crisis situations. As a vulnerable group, women are more likely to suffer harm to their rights and interests in circumstances of armed conflicts, natural disasters and migration. While national governments bear the primary responsibility for protecting women’s rights and interests in crisis situations, the international community should, while fully respecting the sovereignty of the countries concerned, provide constructive assistance to them with special focus on capacity building.

Madam Chair,

The Chinese government has made gender equality a basic national policy for social development. It has steadily improved its legal system for the protection of women’s rights and interests, formulated and implemented China’s Guideline for the Advancement of Women, and integrated the advancement of women into its economic and social development plan.

Over the past year, China continued to make positive progress in the advancement of women. This is manifested in the promulgation of Special Provisions on Labor Protection for Women Employees aimed at securing maternal leave for women employees and preventing and deterring sexual harassment; the ongoing drafting of Laws against Domestic Violence; issuance of over 100 billion RMB yuan in secured micro-financing for women, which has helped mobilize tens of millions of urban and rural women to get employment or open their own business; and the successful completion of a pilot project offering free cancer screening to rural women, which has benefited over 13 million women.

The Chinese government will continue to integrate gender equality in the entire process of national laws and policies from formulation to implementation, create an enabling social and cultural environment for the advancement of women, increase women’s political participation, ensure women’s participation in economic activities and sharing of development benefits, strengthen the protection of women’s rights and interests, and intensify international cooperation in the advancement of women to do what we can to contribute to the advancement of women worldwide.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

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