NGO meeting calls for advancing women's rights

Chinese and international nongovernmental organizations met in Geneva on Thursday to discuss how to advance women's rights for an equitable and sustainable future.

Christoph Stuckelberger, president of the Geneva Agape Foundation, said there is enormous progress in women's rights around the world in the last three decades since the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing in 1995, citing women's leadership position in the United Nations, in private sector, universities and research.

"However, much has still to be done for gender equality and women's rights. Patriarchal structures and values are deeply rooted. With conservative trends globally, male-dominated structures are even strengthened again," he said at the side event of the 58th session of the UN Human Rights Council held in Geneva.

The only male among the panelists in the talk, he said one of his efforts is to motivate men to be engaged in women's rights.

"China, especially in the last 30 years, shows big progress in women's rights and is well ahead of many other countries and cultures," said Stuckelberger, who has taught at several universities around the world, including the Minzu University of China in Beijing.

Xiao Ningning, deputy secretary-general of China NGO Network for International Exchanges, recalled her own experience of how local women's federations are transforming lives in Xingtang county, Hebei province, where she once served as deputy magistrate.

She said each cadre from the women's federation connects with 10 women, children and one women's organization monthly, working together to improve the life of women.

"This model demonstrates how NGO fosters gender equality at the grassroots level," she said.

He Yuehong, project officer of Beijing NGO Network for International Exchanges, explained how trade unions play a vital role in supporting women in Beijing, such as by helping to improve maternity leave benefits, better childcare support systems, legal advice and career development.

"Women are doing amazing work in technology, education, healthcare and more," she said, adding that 56.9 percent of top professionals in Beijing are now women.

Lisandra Astiasaran Arias, coordinator of the UN Association of Cuba, talked about the achievements in Cuba where there are more than 54 percent women in parliament, more than 60 percent of women in science and higher education institutions as well as in administration of justice at all levels in the country.

"The negative impact of UCMs (unilateral coercive measures) against Cuba affect the capacity to do more and better for women and girls in the country," she said, citing the lack of resources for NGOs in Cuba mainly due to hostile US government policies.

Lam Ho Yi, chairman of Hong Kong United Youth Association, was the first woman to serve as head of the NGO. She said global frameworks such as the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, or CEDAW, have guided the path toward gender equality.

"Since CEDAW was extended to Hong Kong in 1996, the HKSAR government has pursued robust measures to advance women's development through legal safeguards and policy initiatives," she said.

She said Hong Kong has long embraced the vision with legislation and key institutions to safeguard women's rights in public and private sectors.

"Beyond legislation, the HKSAR government actively supports women's empowerment through targeted initiatives," she said, citing the example of the Women Empowerment Fund that provides resources for childcare support, vocational training and career development.

"These measures enable women to harmonize professional ambitions with family responsibilities, fostering an environment where they can thrive in both spheres," she said.

She expressed that in 2022, Hong Kong ranked 4th globally in the United Nations' Gender Development Index, reflecting Hong Kong's progress in health, education and income equality.

She also voiced concern over some persisting challenges, particularly in corporate leadership, where in 2022, only 16 percent of board seats in Hang Seng Index companies were held by women, with 40 percent of listed companies having all-male boards.