Schooling key to realizing women's empowerment

Peng Liyuan, wife of President Xi Jinping and the UNESCO special envoy for the advancement of girls' and women's education, accompanies the spouses of leaders attending the 2024 FOCAC Summit before a meeting on women's education on the sidelines of the summit in Beijing on Thursday. （Photo by Wang Jing/China Daily）

Spouses of leaders attending the 2024 FOCAC Summit in Beijing stressed on Thursday the need for China and African countries to join hands for women's empowerment through education.

Noting that the well-being of women reflects and affects the development of society, they said education is a powerful and effective means to empower women and facilitate social progress.

Speaking at a meeting on women's education on the sidelines of the summit, Peng Liyuan, wife of President Xi Jinping, said that empowering women with education is of great significance because education, knowledge and skills can give women the opportunity to better serve the country, stay in sync with society and embrace a happier life.

As a UNESCO special envoy for the advancement of girls' and women's education, Peng said she has been to many African schools and institutions for the development of young people and women over the past decade.

"Everywhere I went, I felt very encouraged to see that many African women have their lives changed through education, and have put their talent to good use and realized their dreams," she said.

Peng said China has always attached great importance to the education of girls and women, and the Spring Bud Project, a nationwide campaign helping girls who have dropped out return to school, has provided financial support for more than 4 million girls to continue their education in the past 35 years.

But there is still a long way to go in order to provide equitable, high-quality education for women, she said, calling on China and Africa to go further together on the path of facilitating women's education and creating a better future.

Rachel Chebet Ruto, wife of Kenyan President William Ruto, said that education is the foundation of every form of empowerment, and especially so for women.

Despite the significant progress made over the past two decades in terms of access, completion and the quality of basic education in Africa, disparities persist both within and between countries, she said.

Peng Liyuan, wife of President Xi Jinping and the UNESCO special envoy for the advancement of girls' and women's education, accompanies the spouses of leaders attending the 2024 FOCAC Summit before a meeting on women's education on the sidelines of the summit in Beijing on Thursday. （Photo by Wang Jing/China Daily）

Ruto said only 18 percent of children on the African continent have access to early childhood education, compared with the global average of 60 percent.

"We are particularly grateful to the Chinese government for its support," she said.

Isaura Nyusi, wife of Mozambican President Filipe Jacinto Nyusi, said that the Beijing Declaration — a global policy framework adopted at the Fourth World Conference on Women, which was held in Beijing in 1995 — has inspired African countries' efforts and policies in achieving equality between men and women.

"Africa and China are indeed side by side in promoting women's empowerment," she said, noting that the Chinese government has been instrumental in supporting African countries by building more schools and granting more scholarships.

"If you want to go faster, go alone; but if you want to go further, go accompanied, by walking side by side," she said. "With a more developed and modernized China, we have the large advantage of leapfrogging Africa's development."