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State Councillor: Women 'A Great Force'
Calling women a "great force for human progress," a Chinese official on Monday urged the international community to incorporate women's issues into strategies for peace and development.
Wu Yi, China's State councillor, said at a special UN General Assembly session on women that "without the participation of women, there can be no development, and lasting peace will be difficult to come by."
Wu was among delegates from more than 180 countries to the session titled Women 2000: Gender Equality, Development and Peace for the 21st Century.
Wu came on Sunday, heading a delegation that includes officials from Hong Kong and Macao.
The Chinese official put forward a proposal for stopping armed conflict, eliminating women's poverty, ensuring women's participation in economic globalization and promoting the UN's role.
Wu also asked the UN to do more to support women's work.
"Women are the most vulnerable and biggest victims in war and armed conflicts," she said. "Only when wars and armed conflicts are rooted out can women's causes move forward."
Wu emphasized the roles of poverty elimination as well as economic and social development in developing women's status
"Developed countries and relevant international institutions should faithfully fulfill their obligations in this regard," she said.
The Chinese official urged a study on the negative impacts of economic globalization on women's development and on women's efforts in developing countries to avoid being marginalized.
"Economic globalization both affords opportunities and presents severe challenges to the cause of women," she said.
Wu Yi asked the UN to play a more effective role in guiding and co-ordinating international progress of the work on women. "The UN should encourage regional efforts to establish and strengthen co-ordinating mechanisms in relation to women's issues so as to enhance regional co-operation and promote the process of women's cause in all regions," she said.
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