Carry Forward the Silk Road Spirit and Work Together for the Future

——The 3rd Asian-African Women’s Development and Cooperation Forum was Successful held in Hong Kong

Oct.31st 2023 afternoon, the 3rd Asian-African Women’s Development and Cooperation Forum, jointly organized by the Women Empowerment &Development Society in Asia-Africa. Beijing Yaoyang Foundation and Hong Kong Federation of Women was held at the Hong Kong International Convention and Exhibition Center. The forum was supported by the China Foundation for Peace and Development, Business Development Center of Red Cross Society and Ng Teng Fong Charitable Foundation.

Invited to attend the forum are Joyce Banda – former Malawian President Banda, Carrie Lam – Former Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Azeb Mesfin – Former Minister’s Wife of Ethiopia, Ariunzaya Ayush – Secretary of Mongolian People’s Party, ING Kantha Phavi – Cambodian Minister of Women’s Affairs, Marcellina Chijoriga – principal of Nyerere Leadership Academy, Tanzania; diplomatic envoys from Ghana, Guinea, Malawi and Bahrain; Guangyuan Liu – Deputy Director of the Hong Kong Liaison Office; Jianming Fang – Special Commissioner of the Office of the Special Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Hong Kong; Mrs Teresa Mak – The Consul of General of the Hong Kong SAR Government and more than 200 representatives from various sectors attended the event.

Ms. Meiling Zhao, president of Women Empowerment & Development Society in Asia-Africa, delivered a welcome speech of behalf of the host. She pointed out that the theme of this year’s forum is “Carry Forward the Silk Road Spirit and Work Together for the Future” With the help of the “Belt and Road” Summit, the women’s elegance is shown, the strength of all walks of life is gathered, the voice of women is transmitted, and the win-win cooperation is promoted. Women in the new era should keep up with the pace of The Times, fulfill their mission, and follow the trend. Be open and inclusive. Achieve self-esteem, self-confidence, self-reliance, self-improvement. Work together for common development.

Li Jiachao, Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, delivered a video address. He first extended a warm welcome to the guests on behalf of the SAR government. He noted that the forum brought together political, business and women’s leaders from Asia and Africa to discuss the key issue of promoting women’s development around the world. He stressed that the SAR Government attached great importance to women’s development and support for women’s work, and in the just-released Policy Address, it proposed that a Commissioner for Women’s Affairs would be set up in the community Government to fully promote the work of women’s affairs in Hong Kong, encourage women to participate in community service, and give full play to the power of women to hold up half of the sky.

Former Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor delivered a keynote speech. She elaborated on the threefold significance of the third Forum being held in Hong Kong. First of all, holding the forum in Hong Kong will help Hong Kong to leverage its unique advantages of connecting the world, promote exchanges and cooperation with countries along the Belt and Road, and promote people-to-people exchanges. Second, this year’s Forum has invited a number of political leaders from Asia and Africa to Hong Kong to pool the strength of Asia and Africa, promote exchanges and interaction between Asian and African women, and contribute to the development of Asian and African women. As Asia’s world city, Hong Kong has also played an important role in the country’s Asian and African affairs in recent years. We welcome and encourage more young people from African countries to study in Hong Kong, including through the Belt and Road Scholarships provided by the SAR Government. Thirdly, the holding of the Forum in Hong Kong will promote the development of women in Hong Kong, encourage women’s groups in Hong Kong to carry out activities, and help create an enabling environment for women to have equal access to social resources and opportunities.

Joyce Banda, Former Presidentof Malawi, Ms. Azeb Mesfin, Former Minister’s Wife of Ethiopia, Secretary of the Mongolian People’s Party, Minister of Women’s Affairs of Cambodia, Principal of the Nyerere Leadership Institute of Tanzania and Ambassador of Ghana to China delivered speeches respectively.

During the Forum, a roundtable forum on “Women’s Strength for Hong Kong’s Development”, a symposium on Entrepreneurs “Working Together for Development “, a cultural exchange activity on “Calligraphy Spreading Friendship, Painting Bringing Peace” were also held, and the public welfare project “Light of Happiness” was launched. The China Foundation for Peace and Development has signed a number of cooperation agreements with the Banda Foundation, the Meles Foundation and the Beijing Yaoyang Foundation.

Pansy Ho, member of the Standing Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and chairwoman of the Hong Kong Federation of Women, read out the initiative of the third Asian-African Women’s Development and Cooperation Forum. The initiative proposes that at present, we are facing a century of great changes, and the challenges faced by women and children are more severe. Only through solidarity and cooperation can we overcome difficulties together and achieve win-win results. The Forum appealed to women around the world to show the female image of inclusiveness, unity, inheritance and development, and responsibility for mission. Enhance women’s self-esteem, self-confidence, self-reliance, self-reliance awareness, highlighting women’s feelings of family and human feelings. We call on all governments to formulate inclusive development strategies. Give full consideration to the special needs of women and provide support and guarantee for their development; Eliminate poverty and address the problem of unbalanced and inadequate development; Increase investment in education and strengthen women’s capacity building; Promote women’s equal and full employment, ensure women’s equal participation and benefits, and promote women’s development in step with economic and social development; The international community should strengthen exchanges and cooperation on women’s causes, focus on important areas such as women’s poverty reduction, health, education and bridging the digital divide, and address new challenges and seize new opportunities.

Finally, Ms. Jiang Dan, director of the Business Development Center of the Red Cross Society of China and the initiator of Beijing Yaoyang Foundation, spoke on behalf of the organizers and thanked all participants for their strong support for the forum. The Forum brings together the insights of all parties on promoting development cooperation for women in Asia and Africa, has a distinct theme and is highly valued by all parties. The Forum is attended by high-level guests with broad representation and far-reaching influence. The Forum focused on the severe challenges and development opportunities faced by women in today’s world, and called on all sectors of society to give more care and support to women. It is a grand event to implement the construction of a community with a shared future for mankind, promote people-to-people exchanges, and promote practical cooperation from a non-governmental perspective.