Mr. Chairman,

The Chinese delegation associates itself with the statement made by Argentina on behalf of the G77 and China.

My delegation welcomes the presentation by Ms. Lakshmi Puri, UN Women Deputy Director and Assistant Secretary-General, on the work of UN Women. Since its establishment, UN Women has carried out effective work in actively responding to challenges, to which China would like to express its appreciations. We hope that UN Women will continue to play a leading role in the field of international women’s affairs, maintain the momentum of the global endeavor on behalf of women, and push for new progress in this field.

Mr. Chairman,

The Chinese delegation has taken note of the reports of the Secretary-General on the implementation of Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and the Outcome of the 23rd Special Session of the General Assembly. We are in favor of the Secretary- General’s initiatives of incorporating the enhancement of the economic empowerment of rural women and children into national development strategies and plans and introducing gender perspective in inter-governmental processes. As stated in UN Women Strategic Plan 2011-2013, at the threshold of the second decade of the 21st century, the cause of world’s women faces both opportunities and challenges. We are encouraged to see that the international community has become increasingly aware of the need for gender equality and women’s empowerment, various multilateral and regional mechanisms have been set up towards this end, many countries are incorporating gender equality into their development strategies, there are more and more outstanding females in politics, economy and academia, and remarkable progress has been made in legislation on gender equality, education for girls and eliminating violence against women. However, it is also the disturbing reality that discrimination against women remains widespread around the world, and family violence and trafficking of women and children continue despite repeated attempts to curb them. Moreover, problems like the financial crisis, social instability, natural disaster, digital divide and inadequate social service seriously hinder women’s development. We still have a long way to go before the full realization of gender equality and women’s empowerment.

Under these circumstances, how to improve women’s development and effectively elevate their status should be a subject of attention and serious consideration for the United Nations and the international community as a whole. China endorses the priority areas of work identified by UN Women, namely, expanding women’s voice, leadership and participation, enhancing women’s economic empowerment, combating violence against women and promoting the agenda of women, peace and security. In addition, China is of the view that:

First, attention should be given to safeguarding the rights and interests of women in the post-economic crisis era. It is often said that “poverty has a woman’s face”, meaning that women are the primary victims of poverty. In this increasingly globalized world, women bear the brunt of the effects of economic and social crises. The “feminization” of poverty is becoming more pronounced and challenges to women’s development and empowerment are growing. Countries must take effective measures to provide women with vocational training, health examination, legal advice and other services and help them address real-life difficulties in employment, medical care and health etc.

Secondly, equal emphasis should be put on social development and empowerment of women. Ultimately, the issue of women is the issue of development. Only through steady development can countries provide strong material and technical support for the empowerment of women; and only through the empowerment of women can women’s potential be fully tapped as a driving force for social development. Governments should take a holistic approach to gender mainstreaming, integrate women’s empowerment in the strategy for political, economic and social development, and realize the empowerment of women in the process of promoting social development.

Thirdly, international cooperation should be strengthened in a joint effort to advance the cause of women. Unity produces power and cooperation is the only way to achieve win-win results. The cause of world’s women is the cause of women of each and every country and of the whole humanity. As such, it needs the close cooperation of all countries for its advancement. China expresses its support for the United Nations in continuing to play the leading role in world women’s affairs and for UN Women in increasing its support under the principle of national ownership to women-related work in developing countries. We also support UN Women in carrying out exchanges and cooperations with governments on the basis of mutual respect, consultation on an equal footing and seeking common grounds while putting aside differences, and working together with them to strive for gender equality and the empowerment of women.

Mr. Chairman,

China has always attached great importance to the cause of women and worked conscientiously to implement the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. This year, my government promulgated the Outline for the Development of Chinese Women, which identifies major goals and policy measures in the seven areas of health, education, economy, political participation, social security, environment and law. China has adopted legislative and other measures to promote women’s participation in political life. Currently, we have eight women leaders at the national level, three women ministers, and more than 670 women mayors. In the coming decade, China will make comprehensive efforts in the afore-mentioned seven areas to further advance the rights and interests of the Chinese women.

Mr. Chairman,

Attaching high importance to international cooperation in the field of women, China has been working in earnest to implement the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and has taken an active, full and constructive part in the work of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Woman and the Executive Board of UN Women. Going forward, the Chinese government will continue to work relentlessly to expand and deepen international cooperation, further strengthen communications, consultations and dialogues with various parties, in order to safeguard women’s rights and interests, advance their status and promote the development of the international cause of women.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.