China calls for world efforts to promote status of women

03/06/2002
Xinhua

China on Tuesday called upon the international community and all Governments to take specific steps in order to promote the status of women, who are mostly among vulnerable groups in many societies.

The appeal came as Wang Yingfan, the head of the Chinese delegation to the 46th Session of the U.N. Commission on the Status of Women, was speaking to the international gathering on women.

"We have noted with satisfaction in the past year that the international community has made great efforts and scored certain achievements in the implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action and the outcome document of the 23rd Special Session of the General Assembly on Women," he said.

The Beijing Platform for Action is a resulting document from the Fourth World Conference on Women, held in the Chinese capital of Beijing in 1995, the Commission on the Status of Women has since met annually to monitor its implementation.

"However, such factors as poverty, diseases, lack of education, social bias and discrimination still hinder women's participation in the economic and social development, aggravate their disadvantaged position, and worsen their impoverishment," he said.

"Furthermore, regional conflicts and partial wars caused by various factors have seriously impeded the economic development for relevant countries and regions," he said. "At the same time, international terrorism has caused huge casualties of innocent victims, women and children in particular, and losses of properties."

"We call upon the international community and all Governments to abide by the principles of the United Nations Charter and other commonly recognized basic norms in international relations, and oppose to all violence and terrorist activities targeting innocent civilians," he said.

"We appeal to the international community to provide more assistance to developing countries in a way that women can fully benefit from economic globalization," he added.

The UN Commission on the Status of Women, set up in 1946 by the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), examines progress towards women's equality throughout the world and makes recommendations for promoting women's rights in the political, economic and social fields.