Astronaut Liu Yang, China's first woman to travel to space, delivered a keynote speech via video link to a UN meeting on Monday, sharing China's visions and achievements in empowering and advancing its female population in the new era.
Liu delivered the speech at a high-level panel discussion to mark the 30th anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women, and the adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action.
The discussion came during the 58th Session of the Human Rights Council at the UN headquarters in Geneva.
In her speech, Liu Yang noted that she is a beneficiary and practitioner of the spirit of the Beijing Declaration, and a witness to how China’s women have become empowered through technology. When the engine of the Shenzhou spacecraft was ignited, she felt not only the shock of 600 tonnes of thrust, but also the power of hundreds of millions of Chinese women lifting her up, she said.
The promotion of gender equality in the selection and training of Chinese astronauts reflects the core logic of the advancement of women in China, which is to ensure a level playing field for both men and women. This is also a concrete realization of the spirit of the Beijing Declaration, she said.
Liu said that over the past 30 years, China has implemented the spirit of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action across society and had shared its knowledge about the importance of empowering women with many countries, which is a vivid manifestation of building a community with a shared future for mankind.
The Beijing Declaration not only lays a solid foundation for improving the status of women around the world, but also provides clear guidance for countries to promote gender equality and technological empowerment, she said.
China's first woman in space shares advances in women’s rights in her homeland
