On 5 March 2021, a party was held at the SCO Secretariat on the occasion of International Women's Day, 8 March, within the framework of the events held to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.
The party was attended by the heads of the SCO countries' diplomatic missions, Special Representative of the Chinese Government for Eurasian Affairs Li Hui, Vice-President and Member of the Secretariat of the All China Women's Federation (ACWF) Xia Jie and other distinguished Chinese guests, as well as members of the SCO Women's Club.
SCO Secretary-General Vladimir Norov, who opened the event, congratulated women on International Women's Day and pointed out the high moral and intellectual potential of the SCO family countries' women, whose selfless commitment and generous hearts are an invaluable contribution to the cause of peace and accord in the SCO countries.
"In this world and this age of global change, our women are making an inestimable contribution to the preservation of the rich national and cultural values of our nations, which has developed over centuries, and to passing supreme human values, such as tolerance, benevolence and humanism, from generation to generation," Vladimir Norov said.
The SCO Secretary-General noted that the diligence, skills and responsibility of the better half of humanity, regardless of their sphere of activity and profession, were making a priceless contribution to the wellbeing and prosperity of nations and were rightly considered a driving force of social progress in the SCO region.
Vladimir Norov emphasised women's selflessness, courage and heroism during the coronavirus pandemic. It is a fact that women constitute the majority of medical personnel in the SCO countries, who are fighting the coronavirus evil around the clock, risking their health and even their lives and working fearlessly to save millions of lives.
He pointed out that ensuring women's equality and empowerment in addressing political and socioeconomic objectives was a vital condition for the sustainable development of the SCO countries.
In the SCO countries, special attention is being paid to gender equality and broader rights and opportunities for women. A major step towards these goals, Vladimir Norov said, was the holding of the first and second Women's Forums, in Beijing in 2018 and in Bishkek in 2019, to discuss the gender aspects of the SCO countries' cooperation and ways to rally women's efforts towards promoting their joint development.
In the Moscow Declaration adopted at the SCO summit, the SCO member states pointed out the importance of holding regular women's forums, conferences and meetings within the SCO framework.
The priorities of Tajikistan's SCO chairmanship include the third Women's Forum, to be held in Dushanbe this year, and the coordination of a draft Memorandum on Cooperation in the Field of Gender Equality between Authorised Bodies of the SCO Member States.
"It is obvious that the introduction of gender development issues into the SCO agenda will help create an effective platform for consolidating the SCO countries' women's potential towards attaining sustainable development goals, promoting regional cooperation and strengthening the Shanghai Spirit.
The female members of the SCO Secretariat are actively contributing to SCO activities in all spheres, as well as to the implementation of the events planned for the year of the 20th anniversary of the SCO, which has been declared the Year of SCO Culture," Vladimir Norov said.
In conclusion of his address, the SCO Secretary-General thanked women for their understanding, generosity, wisdom, resourcefulness, patience and kindness and expressed admiration and pride for their talents and achievements, unmatched femininity, charisma, energy and diligence.
Special Representative of the Chinese Government for Eurasian Affairs Li Hui, speaking on behalf of the Foreign Ministry of China, congratulated all the women attending the event on International Women's Day.
He noted that the Chinese Government had always set a high value on the protection of women's rights and interests, highlighting the role of the female half of society and integrating the country's path of development and progress with a policy of promoting the equal development of men and women and supporting women in the historical process of rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.
The Special Representative of the Chinese Government emphasised the importance of a recent statement by President of China Xi Jinping, who said that "women are the creators of human civilisation and the drivers of social progress who have made extraordinary achievements across all fields of endeavour."
Mr Li Hui noted that during the past 20 years the SCO had covered an extraordinary development path and achieved fundamental results benefitting the region's nations. He said that the SCO continued to grow and develop and that cooperation between its member states was gradually entering a deeply practical level that would have been impossible without the powerful contribution of women and the development of women's cooperation in the SCO region.
The cultural programme of the event featured a runway show presenting the LANYU brand by renowned fashion designer Lan Yu. Before the show, she congratulated the female attendees and said she was proud to have an opportunity to demonstrate Chinese fashion at the event organised by the SCO Secretariat and hoped to showcase her fashions in all SCO countries. "I believe that centuries old traditions can fit in with modern fashion trends," she said.
The programme included a concert by Chinese opera singers led by "fairy coloratura soprano" Chang Sisi, who sang The Nightingale, operatic drinking songs and O sole mio, classical Chinese music by Jiang Jinwen's ensemble and the Mongolian Dance performed by a group led by famous choreographer Zhang Zhaowei.
The audience admired a dance by a group led by famous choreographer Liu Yan, a professor at the Beijing Dance Academy and winner of the Ministry of Culture's highest prize (Wen Hua Prize) and the golden prizes of the fifth Lotus Cup dance competition and the 1st Asia Dance Arts Festival.
Professor Liu Yan said it was a great honour for her and her group to perform in a concert devoted to International Women's Day in the year of the 20th anniversary of the SCO.
She pointed out that art is a universal means of strengthening friendship and understanding among the world's nations and said she was ready to share her knowledge and creative experience and ideas to promote intercultural dialogue within the SCO framework.
The cultural programme was attended by representatives of the CCTV channel and the Renminwang news agency. The event was streamed live on the websites of the media holding Youku and the Versatile Music company.