Global leaders convened in Beijing this week to reaffirm commitments to gender equality at the China-UN Women co-hosted Global Leaders' Meeting on Women. A chair's statement released Monday outlined a 10-point action plan to accelerate women's empowerment amid global challenges.
Key Priorities for Progress
The consensus document emphasizes creating secure environments for women's full participation in peace processes and leadership roles. It calls for eliminating discrimination through strengthened legal frameworks and support for vulnerable groups, particularly those in humanitarian crises.
Economic and Digital Inclusion
Delegates stressed the need to empower women in sustainable development and climate governance while addressing systemic barriers in employment and social security. The statement specifically targets gender bias in emerging technologies, demanding women's equal participation in digital transformation from its earliest stages.
Global Cooperation Framework
The plan advocates for enhanced North-South and South-South collaboration to address shared challenges. Participants praised China's gender equality achievements and endorsed using the meeting as a catalyst to implement both the 1995 Beijing Declaration and the UN's 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.
Chinese President Xi Jinping and First Lady Peng Liyuan hosted foreign delegates at the event, which marks renewed international momentum for women's rights ahead of the Beijing Declaration's 30th anniversary.
