The Delegation of the European Union to China on 7 March held an event to mark the International Women’s Day.

Ambassador Nicholas Chapuis, Head of the EU Delegation, reminded the audience that “respect for gender equality and women’s empowerment have always been core principles of the European Union”. He stressed that these principles remain as important as ever given the continued violation of women’s rights across the world:

In Ukraine, Putin’s unprovoked war has already brought death and suffering to hundreds of innocent civilians, including women and children. Thousands of refugees, mostly women and children, are fleeing their country in terror. In Afghanistan, Taliban rule has had a devastating impact on Afghan women and girls, who live under threat, intimidation and brutality. In China, several incidents of trafficking of women have recently dominated social media. “Women are suffering all over the world and we must not remain silent about it, but strive to achieve peace and actively fight gender inequality.”

Ambassador Chapuis recalled that no country in the world is on track to achieve the gender equality goals. He pointed out the need to scale-up co-operation among EU Member States, third countries, gender-focused civil society organisations and women’s groups, including in China, while not forgetting that promoting gender equality in daily life remains critical to build a more just society where girls and women have equal rights and opportunities.

The EU Delegation to China currently funds more than 20 ongoing actions with civil society, including several projects focused on gender inequality. Two of these projects were presented at the event.