The G20 Ministerial Meeting on Women's Empowerment was held on Friday in Brasilia, the capital of Brazil, with representatives from G20 members, guest countries, and international organizations in attendance.
The main topics of this meeting included "women's economic autonomy", "eliminating gender-based violence", and "addressing climate change".
The meeting released a joint declaration, emphasizing the critical role of women in decision-making and global challenges. It proposed narrowing the gender pay gap, reducing gender disparities in the labor market, enhancing education and technical training opportunities, and promoting the implementation of gender equality policies to ensure women can equally participate in all fields.
Huang Xiaowei, vice president of the All-China Women's Federation (ACWF), and vice chairperson of the National Working Committee on Children and Women (NWCCW) under the State Council, stated in her speech that China has always prioritized promoting gender equality and the all-round development of women.
She added that under the guidance of Chinese President Xi Jinping, the women's cause in China has made historic achievements in the new era. China is willing to work hand in hand with all parties to promote the building of a community with a shared future for mankind and speed up efforts to achieve gender equality and create a better future for humanity, she said.
G20 Ministerial Meeting on Women's Empowerment held in Brasilia
Rescue efforts were ongoing in southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region on Wednesday as teams continued to search for survivors of the previous day's quake, while extensive relief work is also being carried out to ensure relocated residents have the necessary supplies and shelter to protect them from the harsh winter temperatures.
The 6.8-magnitude earthquake jolted Dingri County of Xigaze on Tuesday morning, with at least 126 people confirmed to have lost their lives and 188 others injured, while over 3,600 homes have collapsed.
Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday ordered all-out rescue efforts to save lives and treat the injured, while urging steps to prevent possible secondary disasters, properly resettle the affected residents, and handle the aftermath work effectively.
Later the same day, Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Guoqing, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, led a team to the quake site to guide the rescue and relief efforts.
Upon his arrival, Zhang immediately headed to Changsuo Township, the most severely affected area, where he visited quake victims at rescue sites, temporary shelters and hospitals. He also inspected ongoing rescue operations, checking on the repair efforts for damaged infrastructure, and the provision of medical treatment, relief supplies and living arrangements for local residents.
Before night fell on Tuesday, rescue and relief teams had quickly established 29 temporary shelters across the Changsuo Township, providing accommodation for over 4,000 people. Here quake-affected victims could stay inside insulated tents and received hot food, helping them fend off the cold weather as temperatures plunged well below freezing during the night.
We have focused on establishing shelters, food stations, and medical facilities. Currently, people in the quake-hit areas have access to hot meals, tents for shelter, and medical care," said Zhang Jian, commander of the Forward Command Post of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Western Theater Command.
Despite a series of aftershocks and other challenges including the difficulty of working at high altitude and enduring harsh temperatures, emergency workers have been working round the clock.
So far, more than 12,000 personnel from the emergency response, firefighting, forest, police departments and military have engaged in rescue and relief efforts, setting up 187 resettlement sites across the affected counties to provide shelter for some 46,500 residents.
Following the quake, President Xi stressed the need to promptly allocate emergency rescue supplies, expedite the repair of damaged infrastructure, ensure the basic needs of residents are met, and guarantee a safe and warm winter for all those affected in these high-altitude regions which are prone to cold weather.
Heeding Xi's call, local officials have formed service squads which are going door-to-door in the affected villages to ensure the basic needs of all residents are being efficiently met.
Xu Chao, the first Party secretary of the badly-hit Gurong Village in Changsuo Township, said that efforts had been made to establish as many hot meal service points as possible, and noted that local officials were on 24-hour standby in the surrounding areas to provide timely assistance to those in need.
Fourteen medical teams consisting of 30 experts and 100 medics have arrived in Dingri County to provide treatment to those injured in the quake. At Dingri County Central Hospital, more than 180 injured residents have received treatment, while those with more severe injuries have been transferred to Xigaze City for further medical care.
In terms of infrastructure, all seven of the national and provincial highways which sustained damage in the quake have been restored. Meanwhile, the Dingri Airport and the Heping (Peace) Airport of Xigaze City are also now operating normally, while the State Grid has deployed personnel to restore power facilities.
So far, most communications networks, roads, and power supplies in the quake-stricken areas have been largely restored.
The first batch of 22,000 disaster relief items dispatched by central authorities also arrived at the quake-hit region.
On Wednesday, authorities also sent out another batch of 20,000 items, including quilts and folding beds, to further support disaster relief work in Dingri County and the surrounding areas.
Relief work in full swing to ensure sufficient supplies, shelter for residents in quake-hit Xizang
