Nation puts women's issues in focus

Challenges met

Analysts have highlighted the need for stronger support for women and girls, especially in developing nations, where they have been hit hard by the fallout from the pandemic and have also experienced intensified violence during lockdowns.

According to the International Labor Organization, women's employment fell by 4.2 percent globally from 2019 to last year, representing a drop of 54 million jobs.

A report by UN Women last year said the pandemic would push 96 million people into extreme poverty this year, including 47 million women and girls. This would increase the number of women and girls living in extreme poverty to 435 million, with estimates showing that this number would not revert to pre-pandemic levels until 2030, the report added.

President Xi's wife, Peng Liyuan, a longtime vocal advocate for women's and girls' rights globally, on a number of occasions has highlighted the challenges posed by the pandemic to women regarding education, health, employment, rights protection and emerging from poverty.

At a conference in Beijing to mark the 25th anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women, she urged solidarity and cooperation to provide women with equal and high-quality education, ensure their equal access to jobs and guarantee their right to basic health services.