Chinese President Xi Jinping's Keynote Address at the Global Leaders' Meeting on Women

Strategic Insights -

Chinese President Xi Jinping delivered a keynote address at the opening ceremony of the Global Leaders' Meeting on Women in Beijing, emphasizing the importance of promoting women's all-round development and addressing the complex challenges they face in achieving equality and empowerment. He called for a rededication to the purpose of the Beijing World Conference on Women and proposed four key measures to accelerate the new process of women's development: fostering an enabling environment, cultivating powerful momentum for high-quality development, developing governance frameworks to protect women's rights, and promoting global cooperation on women. Xi also announced China's commitment to supporting the global cause of women, including donating an additional $10 million to UN Women and launching 1,000 "small and beautiful" livelihood programs with Chinese assistance.

Key Takeaways:

  • The international community has a shared responsibility to advance the cause of women, and the Fourth World Conference on Women set a lofty goal of "Action for Equality, Development and Peace" 30 years ago.
  • Over the past 30 years, the cause of women has been thriving around the world, with nearly 1,600 laws on women's rights and interests enacted by more than 190 countries, and over 189 countries have ratified the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women.
  • Despite progress, complex challenges still hamper women's all-round development, with over 600 million women and girls still mired in war and conflict, and around 10 percent of women and girls trapped in extreme poverty.
  • Xi proposed four key measures to accelerate the new process of women's development: fostering an enabling environment, cultivating powerful momentum for high-quality development, developing governance frameworks to protect women's rights, and promoting global cooperation on women.
  • China has secured historic achievements in the cause of women, winning the largest battle against poverty in human history and reducing maternal mortality by nearly 80 percent since 1995.
  • Xi announced China's commitment to supporting the global cause of women, including donating an additional $10 million to UN Women and launching 1,000 "small and beautiful" livelihood programs with Chinese assistance.

Statistics:

  • Over 600 million women and girls are still mired in war and conflict.
  • Around 10 percent of women and girls are trapped in extreme poverty.
  • China has reduced maternal mortality by nearly 80 percent since 1995.
  • The Fourth World Conference on Women set the lofty goal of "Action for Equality, Development and Peace" 30 years ago.
  • Over 189 countries have ratified the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women.
  • Nearly 1,600 laws on women's rights and interests have been enacted by more than 190 countries.

Sources:

  • Xi Jinping, "Carrying Forward the Spirit of the Beijing World Conference on Women and Promoting the New and Accelerated Process for Women's All-Round Development," Keynote Address, Global Leaders' Meeting on Women, Beijing, October 13, 2025.
  • United Nations, "The Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action," Adopted by the Fourth World Conference on Women, Beijing, China, September 15, 1995.