Carry Forward the Silk Road Spirit and Work Together for the Future
The 3rd Asian-African Women’s Development and Cooperation Forum was successfully held in Hong Kong.
On the afternoon of October 31, 2023, the 3rd Asia-Africa Women’s Development and Cooperation Forum, co-organized by the Women Empowerment & Development Society in Asia-Africa (WEDS.AA), the Beijing Yao Yang 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 the forum were Joyce Banda-former President of Malawi, 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 – Minister of Women’s Affairs of Cambodian, Marcellina Chijoriga – Principal of Nyerere Leadership Academy, Tanzania, ambassadors of Ghana, Guinea, Malawi, Bahrain, etc., in China, 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, as well as Teresa Mak -The Consul of General of the Hong Kong SAR; and more than 200 representatives from various sectors attended the event.
On behalf of the organizers, Ms. Meiling Zhao, President of the WEDS.AA, delivered a welcome speech. She pointed out that the theme of the forum is “Carry forward the spirit of the Silk Road, and work together for the future”. With the help of the “Belt and Road” Summit, it will show women’s style, gather strength from all walks of life, convey women’s voices, and promote win-win cooperation. Women in the new era should keep up with the pace of the times, do not dishonor the mission, and act in accordance with the trend. Be courageous, open and inclusive. To achieve self-esteem, self-confidence, self-reliance and self-improvement. Women shall work together for common development.
The Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Hon John LEE Ka-chiu, delivered a video message, in which he extended a warm welcome to the guests on behalf of the SAR government. He noted that the Forum brings together political, business and women’s affairs leaders from Asia and Africa to discuss the key issue of promoting women’s development globally. As this year marks the 10th anniversary of President Jinping Xi’s ” Belt, Road” initiative, it is of particular significance for Chinese and foreign civil society organizations to carry out women’s exchanges and cooperation, poverty alleviation and disaster relief, and other livelihood cooperation projects in the countries where the joint projects are being built, in order to promote the development of women globally. He emphasized that the SAR Government attaches great importance to women’s development and support for women’s work, and the Policy Address just delivered proposes to set up women’s commissioners in community governments to promote women’s affairs in Hong Kong, encourage women to participate in community services, and give full play to women’s ability to hold up half the sky.
H.E. Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor , the former Chief Executive of Hong Kong, delivered the keynote speech. She elaborated on the threefold significance of holding the third Forum in Hong Kong. Firstly, the holding of the Forum in Hong Kong will help to capitalize on Hong Kong’s unique advantages in connecting with the world, promote exchanges and cooperation with countries along the Belt and Road, and facilitate people-to-people exchanges. Secondly, this year’s Forum invited a number of Asian and African dignitaries to visit Hong Kong in person, bringing together the strengths of Asia and Africa to promote exchanges and interactions between Asian and African women, thereby contributing 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 making use of the Belt and Road Scholarships offered by the SAR Government. Thirdly, holding the Forum in Hong Kong will promote the development of women in Hong Kong, encourage women’s organizations in Hong Kong to carry out activities, and help create a favourable environment for women to have equitable access to social resources and opportunities.
H.E. Joyce Banda, Former President of Malawi, Ms. Azeb Mesfin, Former Minister’s Wife of Ethiopia, H.E. Ariunzaya Ayush, Secretary of the Mongolian People’s Party, H.E. ING Kantha Phavi, Minister of Women’s Affairs of Cambodia, Ms. Marcellina Chijoriga, Principal of the Nyerere Leadership Institute of Tanzania and H.E. Winfred NII OKAI Hammond, Ambassador of Ghana to China delivered speeches respectively.
During the Forum, a round-table forum on “Women’s Power for Hong Kong’s Development”, an entrepreneurs’ seminar on “Working Together for Development”, and a cultural exchange activity on “Calligraphy Spreading Friendship, Painting Bringing Peace” were also organized. The “Light of Happiness” public welfare program was launched. The China Foundation for Peace and Development signed a number of cooperation agreements with the Banda Foundation, the Meles Foundation and the Beijing Yao Yang Foundation.
Ms. Pansy Ho, member of the Standing Committee of the National 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 Asia-Africa Women’s Development and Cooperation Forum. The initiative states that we are now in the midst of a century of great changes, and the challenges facing women and children have become even more severe. Only through solidarity, cooperation and joint response can we overcome the difficulties and achieve a win-win situation. The Forum appeals to women around the world to show the image of women who are inclusive, united, inheriting and developing, and who have a mission to take on. Enhance women’s self-esteem, self-confidence, self-reliance and self-improvement, and demonstrate women’s sense of family and humanity. Call on governments to formulate inclusive development strategies. They should give full consideration to the special needs of women and provide support and guarantees for women’s development; eliminate poverty and address the problem of unbalanced and insufficient development; increase investment in education and strengthen women’s capacity-building; promote equal and full employment for women, ensure their equal participation and equal benefits, and promote the simultaneous development of women and the economy and society; The international community should strengthen exchanges and cooperation in the cause of women, focusing on such important areas as women’s poverty alleviation, health, education and bridging the digital divide, so as to overcome new challenges and seize new opportunities.
Finally, on behalf of the organizers, Ms. Dan Jiang, Director of the Business Development Center of the Red Cross Society of China and founder of the Beijing Yao Yang Foundation, spoke and thanked all the participants for their strong support for the Forum. She believed that the Forum had brought together the insights of all parties on the promotion of women’s development and cooperation in Asia and Africa, and that the Forum’s theme was distinctive and highly valued by all parties, and that the guests attending the Forum had high specifications, broad representation and far-reaching impact. The Forum focused on the serious challenges and development opportunities faced by women in today’s world, and called on all sectors of society to give women more care and support; it was an event to implement the building of a community of human destiny from the perspective of civil society, to facilitate people-to-people exchanges, and to promote pragmatic cooperation.
