The Chinese Women's Ninth National Congress, aiming to map out
the development schemes for the women in China over the next five
years, opened in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing Friday
morning.
The five-day congress will hear and deliberate a work report of
the Eighth Executive Committee of the All-China
Women's Federation (ACWF), examine and adopt amendments to the
federation's constitution, and elect the Ninth ACWF Executive
Committee.
More than 1,300 delegates across the country are attending the
congress, which has been held every five years.
ACWF, the country's most prominent women's organization, has set
new priorities for women's issues in the next five years, such as
combating the continuing discrimination against women in the
workplace, making access to education possible for all girls and
raising literacy levels among rural women.
These proposed projects are in line with the Millennium Project
of the United Nations (UN) and the UN Development Program.
The UN has set eliminating gender disparity in primary and
secondary education, eliminating gender inequality in access to
economic assets and employment and achieving a 30 percent share of
seats for women in national parliaments as three of its major
millennium development goals.
This meeting is to recommit the nation to improving women's
status and welfare. It is expected to work out basic principles and
actions for people around the country to follow.
Women are of great and unique value to sustainable
development.
Women's advancement is something that can be measured.
The presence of more women in the administration of State and
social affairs speaks volumes for the improving status of Chinese
women.
Securing the equality of women and men, in law and in fact, is
the great political project of the 21st century. A crucial role in
the realization of that project has been entrusted to the
government and non-governmental organizations, among which the
All-China Women's Federation is the one most well placed to
represent half of the nation's population.
The representatives of Chinese women are meeting to take that
great enterprise forward: to consolidate the legal advances, to
build on the political understanding and to commit themselves to
action.
The Outline for Chinese Women's Advancement (2001-10) aimed at
charting women-friendly policies that will integrate gender issues
into all areas, sectors and programs is one achievement of that new
spirit. Our country is looking forward -- not simply to achieving
economic prosperity, but to building a better future as well.
The recognition of the dignity and worth of women, and the
essential contribution of women, on an equal basis with men, to
life in all its aspects, is to be an essential element of that
better tomorrow.
This meeting is a call to action.
The interpretation and implementation may vary from region to
region given that conditions and development differ.
Women's problems will not disappear automatically when the
economy progresses rapidly.
Equality of dignity is far from being achieved, with
discrimination on the basis of gender still widespread.
Prejudice against women, like an invisible chain, fetters the
hearts and minds of millions. Poverty still has a woman's face in
many parts of China.
Employment for women remains limited to relatively few fields,
and there is only a tiny percentage of women in management
positions. Many women are victims of unequal pay for equal
work.
Establishing women's legal rights has been high on the agenda of
the government. Today, the challenge is how to make the laws take
effect in the daily lives of the women.
Real and concrete steps are still required -- to ensure equality
of opportunity in education, and equality of access to health
systems, to jobs and to political power.
There is a long way to go before we have equality between women
and men in senior decision-making posts.
Women -- their lives, their roles, their aspirations -- are the
key to development in every dimension. Equality, opportunity and
development must reach every woman in our country.
There is growing awareness that attitudes as well as behavior --
both of individuals and of institutions -- must change to take
account of the real rights and real needs of women. Together, we
must follow our words with our deeds.
(China Daily August 22, 2003)