Beijing Hosts 2025 Global Summit of Women
Women are indispensable creators, dynamic drivers, and vital inheritors of our global civilization. It is therefore our collective responsibility to advance their development and empowerment. This year marks three decades since the landmark Fourth World Conference on Women was held in Beijing, where the call to “eliminate all forms of discrimination against women” was first articulated on such a global scale. On October 13, the Global Summit of Women convened again in Beijing, reinforcing worldwide efforts to promote gender equality and eradicate discrimination.
Established in Washington, D.C., in 1990, the Global Summit of Women is held annually in different nations, serving as a key platform for dialogue and action. This year’s Beijing session reviewed the current landscape of women’s progress, put forward four strategic recommendations for the future, and highlighted actionable commitments to be implemented in China.
Current developments and challenges
Today, we are witnessing remarkable strides in the advancement of women across multiple domains. Women are playing ever more important role in political,economic, cultural and social affairs.First and foremost, gender equality has gained broad recognition as a shared global value, with governments worldwide increasingly committed to safeguarding and supporting women’s rights. Secondly, women now benefit from improved living conditions and broader developmental opportunities—including greater access to employment and enhanced social status. Third, legal frameworks designed to protect and promote women’s rights have been increasingly refined, reinforcing their social and legal protections. Lastly, women’s empowerment has achieved substantial and inspiring progress in recent years.
Nevertheless, complex challenge still hamper the women development. First and foremost, over 600 million women and children continue to suffer from the devastating impacts of war and conflict worldwide. Furthermore, more than 10% of women and children live in conditions of extreme poverty, which severely impedes their overall human development. Additionally, various forms of violence and discrimination against women, including digital gender divide, persist in certain regions, undermining efforts toward gender equality and social progress.
Significance of Global Summit of Women
When examining the current landscape and ongoing challenges of women’s development in the 21st century, the significance of the Global Summit of Women (GSW) becomes especially crucial. One of its primary roles is to unite women’s voices and strengths from across the globe: this year, delegates from 110 countries gathered in Beijing to deliberate on issues of shared concern, forging a clear and unified direction for the advancement of women worldwide and gathering power to overcome challenges. Moreover, the GSW plays a vital role in enhancing international collaboration and accelerating the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. Furthermore, it reinforces the spirit of multilateralism, upholding a global governance system centered around the United Nations, thereby strengthening the worldwide effort to protect and promote women’s rights.
President Xi’s call and China’s action for future
China attached importance of women development in the world, and President Xi called for actions in the GSW:
1.Promote a shared, cooperative, and sustainable security vision, creating a peaceful environment and ensuring women’s full participation in peace processes.
2.Prioritize development that benefits the people, empowering women to drive sustainable development.
3.Protect the rights of women and girls, eliminate discrimination and violence, and support those in vulnerable and humanitarian situations.
4.Uphold equality, dialogue, and inclusiveness, strengthen global exchanges among women, and support the UN’s central role in cooperation.
5.Advance women’s overall development in areas such as poverty reduction, education, health, employment, and public decision-making.
6.Improve institutional mechanisms that support gender equality and women’s development.
7.Implement family-friendly policies and ensure equal rights for women within families.
8.Support women’s involvement in climate governance and enhance their ability to respond to environmental challenges.
9.Promote women’s equal participation and leadership in the digital and AI era, addressing bias and discrimination at the technological source.
10.Strengthen global partnerships to address shared challenges and promote the common development of women worldwide.
In addition, China was willing to continue to contribute for women development. Over the next five years, China will donate an additional 10 million USD to UN Women; provide 100 million USD under the Global Development and South-South Cooperation Fund to support projects advancing women’s and girls’ development in collaboration with international organizations; deliver 1,000 “small yet impactful” livelihood projects prioritizing women and girls; invite 50,000 women to China for exchanges and training; and establish a Global Women’s Capacity-Building Center to work with partner countries and international organizations on capacity-building initiatives and cultivate more outstanding female talent.
Conclusion
Global Summit of Women was an illustration of the advancement of not just Chinese women but all women around the world. China will continue to establish a peaceful and communicable platform for women from all nations, and will continue to support women development in the future.
Written by: Stella Hu
