ISO: CHN
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The electronic version of this document has been prepared at the Fourth
World Conference on Women by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
in collaboration with the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women
Secretariat.
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AS WRITTEN


Speech by
His Excellency Jiang Zemin
President of the People's Republic of China
at Welcoming Ceremony for
the Fourth World Conference on Women
Beijing, 4 September 1995


Distinguished Guests and Friends
Ladies and Gentlemen,

Today, the Fourth World Conference on Women will have its grand opening 
in Beijing, Such a propitious assernbly of outstanding women and 
distinguished guests from around the world has added luster to the city 
that radiates with the colors of the golden autumn. I would like to 
extend, on behalf of the Chinese Government and people and in my own 
name, our hearty felicitations to the Conference and warm welcome to all 
the honoured guests and participants of the Conference. 

This Conference is a major event for women as well as all the people 
around the world. Its convocation here at this very moment, which 
coincides with the 50th anniversary of the founding of the United 
Nations, is of great importance in that it enables us to review the UN's 
progress in the advancement of women, accelerate the achievement of the 
goals of Equality, Development and Peace as set forth in the Nairobi 
Strategy, and further enhance the status and role of women. 

Women hold up "half the sky" in human society. Both men and women are 
promoters of' social development and progress and share the creation of 
human civilization. material and cultural, What is more, women have made 
a special contribution to the reproduction of human race. It is they who 
have nurtured generation upon generation of new lives, among them 
millions of heroes, scholars and poets, However, over a long period of 
time in the development of human society, women were not treated as 
equals with men. Prejudices against women, like an invisible chain, 
fettered the hearts and minds of millions. Such outworn mentality should 
have long been discarded and such irrational situation changed. 

Since the founding of' the United Nations, the world has undergone 
profound changes and the global women's cause has taken an extraordinary 
course. The international community has made strenuous efforts to 
promote gender equality and made certain progress to this end. However, 
one finds that the phenomena of subjecting women to discrimination, 
oppression and even physical abuse have not vanished from the face of 
the earth. And obstacles that hinder the improvement of women's status 
are far from being removed. In today's world where the commanding themes 
of the times -- peace and development -- have become even more 
pronounced, the call for respect for and protection of women, and a 
complete change in the fate of women has become increasingly vocal. The 
theme of this women's conference -- Action for Equality, Development and 
Peace -- has undoubtedly instilled fresh vitality into the global 
women’s cause. We are glad to see that women in all countries have come 
to share the desire for world peace, national stability, economic 
prosperity, social progress, liberation of women and gender equality. 
This, too, represents an irresistible trend of history.

At this important moment of the turn of the century, we have  upon our 
shoulders the historical task of building on the past and opening a path 
to the future. It behooves us, therefore, to carefully study ways to 
advance the global women’s cause and properly handle the relations 
between equality on the one hand and development and peace on the other.

History tells us that the fate of women is linked with that of the whole 
mankind. The liberation of women is part and parcel of national 
independence and people’s liberation. A higher status of women is 
associated with overall development of society and the progress of the 
times. 

A full and equal participation by women is indispensable to the 
fulfillment of the two major tasks facing the present-day world, namely, 
peace and development. Only by actively involving themselves in 
maintaining peace and promoting development can women reach the goal of 
improving their status. 

Maintaining peace is the primary prerequisite for the improvement of 
women’s status. The two world wars brought horrible scourge to mankind 
with women and children, the most vulnerable of all, bearing the brunt. 
Without world peace and stability, any talk about improving women’s 
status and guaranteeing their rights and interests would be out of the 
question. Since the end of the Cold War, the international situation has 
, on the whole, moved towards relaxation, but regional conflicts and 
local wars have raged on without letup and the world is not yet 
tranquil. It remains an important mission for the people, including 
women, of all countries to endeavor for the maintenance of world peace 
and stability and the removal of all factors that may lead to war.

Eradicating poverty is the essential condition for the improvement of 
women’s status. A sound economy is the basis for the well-being of human 
society. Poverty and underdevelopment have deprived many women of 
employment, health care and educational opportunities. For them , the 
right to equal participation in the political and economic life of the 
state can only be an elusive luxury. To become true masters of their 
life and control their own destiny, women need to enjoy equal status not 
only politically, but also economically. As China’s great writer and 
thinker Lu Xun put it,” I believe that if women cannot enjoy equal 
economic rights with men, all high-sounding remarks made about them are 
nothing but idle talks.” At present, poverty remains a serious obstacle 
to the improvement of women’ status in many countries, developing 
countries in particular. This is due to the prolonged colonialist 
domination and the existing irrational and inequitable world economic 
order. The developed countries and the international community at large 
have an unshirkable responsibility to help the people in the developing 
world to achieve economic growth, eradicate poverty and improve living 
standards.

The Chinese Government has always regarded gender equality as an 
important measurement of civility. The Chinese women have become masters 
of the state and society since the founding of the People's Republic. 
Attaching great importance to the development and advancement of women, 
we in China have made gender equality a basic state policy in promoting 
social development. We are resolutely against any forms of 
discrimination against women and have taken concrete steps to maintain 
and protect the equal status and rights of women in the country's 
political, economic and social life. As a populous country, China has 
taken upon itself the heavy responsibility of improving the status of a 
quarter of the world's women. -We will continue to work hard and make 
further contribution to the advancement of the global women's cause. 

The question of women is an important issue of common concern in the 
international community. The women's cause is a lofty undertaking for 
mankind. Not only efforts by governments and peoples at the national 
level, but also extensive co-operation at the international level are 
required to advance women's status and role. I believe that so long as 
we abide by the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, respect each 
other, seek common ground while putting aside differences and enhance 
our coordination, we will be advance to the global women's cause 
steadily. The eyes of the world's men and women are on this Conference. 
They have placed high hopes on a positive outcome. The Chinese 
Government and people are ready to make great efforts and cooperate 
closely with the UN and its agencies to ensure a success of the 
Conference. I sincerely hope that UN Fourth World Conference on Women 
will become an important milestone in realizing gender equality and 
promoting peace and development. 

In conclusion, I wish the Conference a complete success and wish all of 
you a pleasant stay in Beijing. 

Thank you.