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H.E. Dr. George Manneh Weah, President of Republic of Liberia,

H.E. Madam Clar M. Weah, First Lady of the Public of Liberia,

H.E. Dr. Jewel Howard-Taylor, Vice President of the Republic of Liberia,

Hon. Members of the 54^th Legislature,

Hon. Members of the Judiciary,

Hon. Dean and members of the Cabinet,

Distinguished Dean and members of the diplomatic corps and representatives of international organizations in Liberia,

Ladies and gentlemen,

 

Good morning! It is a great pleasure to attend the observance of the International Women's Day. I Would like to extend the festive greetings and best wishes to all sisters of Liberia!

Gender equality is an inevitable requirement and an important way to protect women's rights, and an important foundation for building a peaceful, prosperous and sustainable world. Achieving gender equality and empowering all women and girls is a global agenda and an important part of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

Governments of all countries should take effective measures to eliminate all forms of discrimination against women, protect women's human rights, promote society's understanding of women's potential, talents and contributions to society, promote equality in the distribution of rights, opportunities, and resources between men and women, and achieve the all-round development of women.

At present, while COVID-19 continues to ravage the world, women are facing greater challenges, and it will be a dual blow to more vulnerable groups such as children and the elderly. The international community should attach great importance and take active actions to prevent women's economic progress achieved over the past few decades from being affected, and to help women avoid poverty, wars, diseases and violence.

Ladies and gentlemen,

China has a female population of 685 million and they account for one-fifth of the world's female population. Equality between men and women is China's basic national policy. China has established a comprehensive legal system that includes more than 100 laws and regulations to protect women's rights and interests, and has eliminated by and large the gender gap in compulsory education. Women account for more than 40% of all employees in the society. Currently, the average female life expectancy has been extended to 79.43 years, 42.7 years higher than when the People's Republic of China was founded. China is also listed by the World Health Organization as one of the 10 countries with high performance in maternal and child health.

China's tremendous achievements in gender equality and women's development are not only a vivid portrayal of the progress of Chinese civilization, but also a great contribution to global equality, development and peace. On October 1, 2020, President Xi Jinping delivered an important speech via video link at the UN General Assembly's high-level meeting to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the World Conference on Women held in Beijing, and put forward four propositions namely, to help women get rid of the impact of the COVID pandemic, to implement gender equality, to promote women to be at the forefront of the times, and to strengthen global cooperation in women's causes. China also proposes to hold another Global Women's Summit in 2025 to contribute to the development of women's undertakings in the post-pandemic era.

While we laud the achievements including in the women's causes scored by Liberia under the strong leadership of President Weah, China stands ready to continue to work with Liberia and other countries to actively implement the "Beijing Declaration" and "Program of Action" and strengthen international cooperation in the development of global women's causes.

Thank you!