Topic: 2024-Gender Equality in Rural Areas
Country: China
Delegate Name: Hannah Mathew
Committee: ECOSOC – UN Women
Topic: Gender Equality in Rural Areas
Country: China
Delegate: Hannah Mathew
School: Washtenaw International High School
China is alarmed by the effects of gender inequality, especially in rural areas. Women make up around half of the world’s population, but gender inequality persists everywhere in the world and is hindering social progress. This has especially been a problem for women in rural areas for many years, as they have been at an extremely high risk of facing gender/identity based discrimination. The UN has taken several initiatives to work towards solving this crisis. GA resolution 62/136 declared October 15th as International Day of Rural Women and supported a gender-sensitive education system considering the specific needs of rural women . GA resolution 72/148 supported development of specific assistance programs and advisory services to promote economic skills of rural women, invited governments to promote economic empowerment of women and supporting women entrepreneurs and women smallholder farms. However, despite these many initiatives, at the current rate of progress , it would take over hundreds of years to fully reach gender equality.
China has taken several initiatives to work at solving gender inequality in rural areas. Gender equality has been demanded in our constitution since 1954. The government of China has formulated and amended over 100 laws and regulations[such as the “Anti-Domestic Violence Law” and the “Criminal Law Amendment (IX)”] in order to provide guarantees to promote women’s development and safeguard women’s interests and rights. China’s 13th Five-Year Plan includes goals related to development of women in rural areas, including the expansion of the coverage of women’s “Two Cancers” screening in such regions. We have also made an outline for 2021-2030 on Women’s Development in China, with a main target of ensuring that land contract management rights, homestead use rights, and other rights and interests are equally accessible to rural women, and a strategic measure of making sure that rural women have equal economic rights and interests in rural land contracting work.
China suggests the UN Women committee collaborate with organizations like Plan International on increasing educational infrastructure in rural areas for women and/or provide a subsidy to such organizations solely intended for this purpose. China also suggests the committee to advocate for the amending and formulation of laws that protect women’s rights and promote their development, which could be done through working in collaboration with organizations like Association for Women’s Rights in Development. China also recommends the UN Women committee empower rural women through training them in leadership so they can take leadership roles in economic activity and decision making through hosting workshops in collaboration with organizations like Ask A Leading Woman that would train rural women in such leadership.
Works Cited
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“Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment.” UNFPA China, 2018, china.unfpa.org/en/topics/gender-equality-and-womens-empowerment.
People’s Republic of China Comprehensive National-Level Review Report on the Implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action .
“Resolution Adopted by the General Assembly on 18 December 2007 .” Documents.un.org, 12 Feb. 2008, documents.un.org/doc/undoc/gen/n07/471/93/pdf/n0747193.pdf. Accessed 23 Nov. 2024.
“Resolution Adopted by the General Assembly on 19 December 2017.” Documents.un.org, 17 Jan. 2018, documents.un.org/doc/undoc/gen/n17/454/11/pdf/n1745411.pdf. Accessed 23 Nov. 2024.
Secretary-General, UN. “Improvement of the Situation of Women and Girls in Rural Areas :: Report of the Secretary-General.” United Nations Digital Library System, UN, 24 July 2023, digitallibrary.un.org/record/4019030?v=pdf. Accessed 23 Nov. 2024.
United Nations. “Goal 5: Achieve Gender Equality and Empower All Women and Girls.” United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, United Nations, 2023, www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/gender-equality/.
