Peace foremost precondition for women's cause

Address by President Hu Jintao of China at the Meeting Commemorating the tenth anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing yesterday.

Ten years ago, the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women was held in Beijing. Revolving on the theme of "Action for Equality, Development and Peace", the Conference addressed the global strategy to promote gender equality and adopted the Beijing Declaration and the Platform for Action.

As an important milestone in the history of global women's movement, that Conference went a long way towards promoting social justice and social undertakings in countries all over the world. Its significance and role have since been made more and more evident by the advances of women's cause worldwide.

Today, ten years later, at the Beijing Plus Ten commemorations, we will focus on the theme of "promoting gender equality for common development", rekindle the spirit of the Fourth World Conference on Women, bear witness to the commitments of world's national governments to gender equality, world peace and development, review the achievements of global women's cause and explore new ways to ensure its greater development.

This is indeed highly meaningful. This year coincides with the 60th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations. We are pleased to see that ever since its inception, the United Nations has worked tirelessly for and contributed significantly to raising the status of women, promoting gender equality and advancing women's cause worldwide. In particular, the four World Conferences on Women held by the UN since 1975 have exerted profound and far-reaching impact on global women's cause.

In 2000, as the new millennium dawned, the UN held a special session of the General Assembly on Women's Issue, urging national governments and communities around the world to honour their commitments to higher status for women. Also in 2000, the UN Millennium Summit signed the Millennium Declaration, making gender equality and empowerment of women, among others, the key components of the Millennium Development Goals.

Gender equality has received wider and greater attention worldwide. People have come to realise more clearly that the issue of women is closely linked to political, economic, cultural and social development of the world. Action for Equality, Development and Peace represents the heartfelt wishes of the women of all lands. It is also the shared aspiration of all the people around the world and the common pursuit of the international community.

China has all along attached great importance to women's role and vigorously promoted the women's cause. China makes equality of men and women a basic state policy in explicit terms, giving expression to its firm commitment to gender equality and the protection of women's rights and interests. In the past ten years, China has abided by the Beijing Declaration and the Platform for Action, formulated and implemented China's Program for Women's Development, and incorporated women's development into the overall national program of economic and social development.

China has also introduced and improved the framework of laws and regulations, a system of operation and organization to promote women's development and protect their rights and interests, and an effective national mechanism for greater gender equality, thus putting in place a favourable situation where society as a whole gives care and support to the women's cause.

China endeavours to ensure that women enjoy equal rights with men in politics, economy, culture, and social and family life, and works to steadily push forward women's development on all fronts. We have paid attention to women's role in the political life of China, enabling them to participate more and more in democratic election, democratic decision-making, democratic management and democratic supervision.

We are also aware that China is a developing country with 1.3 billion people and a low level of productivity and education. Therefore, the subsistence, development and the protection of the rights and interests of Chinese women need to be further improved. Their equal rights in participating in political affairs, employment, education, family and marriage need to be further materialized. Efforts to eradicate violations on women's rights and interests also need to be further strengthened.

As we entered the 21st century, we have identified a grand goal of building a moderately prosperous society in an all-round way in the first 20 years of this century. We emphasize on the scientific concept of development that is people-oriented, well-coordinated and sustainable.

We should work to push forward the comprehensive development in material, political and spiritual civilization and a harmonious society, and endeavour to further safeguard and promote the fundamental interests of the overwhelming majority of the Chinese people.

Not only has this raised new requirements for the development of women's cause in China, but has also provided a better environment, more opportunities and richer resources for that matter. Women's cause in China is faced with a bright future of accelerated development.

We will adhere to the basic State policy of gender equality, and constantly promote gender equality and harmonious development between men and women. We will continue to use various measures - economic, legal and administrative as well as public opinions - to implement the basic State policy of gender equality in every aspect of economic and social development and social life.

We will give full attention to the imbalance, inadequacy and disharmony in women's development, focus on such key areas and issues as poverty alleviation, employment and health, and increase policy support to protect fully the legitimate rights and interests of women and steadily enhance women's capacity for self-development.

We will continue to implement the scientific concept of development, and seek to advance women's cause in the process of developing our economy and society. The question of women, in essence, is an issue of development, and it can only be solved through development.

We will always take the fundamental interests of the overwhelming majority of the people as the starting point and goal of all our work, and ensure that all Chinese people, women included, benefit from our development. We will take effective measures to narrow the gap between men and women in the possession of development resources and the distribution of development benefits. We will give full play to women's enthusiasm, initiative and creativity, and encourage them to take part in the great development of China.

China will take an active part in international activities on women following the principles of mutual respect, seeking common ground while shelving differences and strengthening cooperation. We will, as always, act on the purposes of the Fourth World Conference on Women, and continue to work for the comprehensive implementation of the Beijing Declaration, the Platform for Action and the Millennium Development Goals.

In today's world, peace, development and cooperation have already become irresistible trends of the times, which provide a rare opportunity for development and progress of humanity, including women.

On the other hand, we must realize that destabilising factors and uncertainties affecting world peace and development still exist, local conflicts arise from time to time, the North-South gap is widening and problems, such as transnational crimes, environmental degradation and acute infectious diseases, are becoming increasingly serious.

All these pose a serious challenge to the lofty cause of peace and development and put constraints on the cause of women, particularly in developing countries. Women's lot is deeply connected to world peace and development. All countries should enhance cooperation and exert efforts to maintain world peace and promote common development, thereby creating more favourable conditions for advancing women's cause.

Peace is the first and foremost precondition for women's cause. It is women and children who suffer most from wars and armed conflicts. Only an environment of stability and peace can enable women to truly enjoy all the rights and interests and realize self-fulfilment and development.

All countries should establish a new concept of security featuring mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality and cooperation, stick to dispute settlement through dialogue and cooperation rather than the use or threat of force, thereby creating an international environment of peace for women's development.

Development provides the material basis of women's advancement. Women's cause advances as material and spiritual civilisations advance. Continued economic and social development holds the key to raising the standards and quality of women's life and their social status.

All countries should formulate development strategies suited to their national conditions, so as to promote economic, political, cultural and social development, which in turn will give strong material and technical support to the promotion of gender equality and the protection of women's rights and interests.

Cooperation is an important approach to promote women's cause. Unity is strength and cooperation brings mutual benefit. Women's cause in the world is a common cause for women in all countries and for the entire human race.

It requires close cooperation and concerted efforts of women and people of the world. All countries should strictly adhere to the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, earnestly act on the spirit of the World Conference on Women and jointly advance women's cause on the basis of mutual respect, equal-footed consultation, sincere cooperation and seeking common ground while shelving differences.