In the thirteenth episode of the UN in China podcast, UN Resident Coordinator in China Siddharth Chatterjee sits down with Smriti Aryal, Country Representative of the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) in China, ahead of International Women’s Day.

Ms. Aryal, a Nepali national, was the eldest child in a family of three daughters. Growing up in a simple middle-class background, she was instilled at an early age with the belief that she and her sisters could achieve anything in life through hard work and perseverance. As a good student, she also credits her parents, who were both well-educated. After completing secondary education, she was encouraged to follow in her father’s footsteps as an engineer to study chemical engineering in the United States. However there, her time spent first taking up a sociology elective opened her eyes and prompted a shift in major to the social sciences.

While at university, she recalls closely following the UN Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing. The Conference, which took place in 1995, saw the participation of former First Lady of the United States, Hillary Rodham Clinton, who famously expressed that “human rights are women’s rights and women’s rights are human rights”. Inspired by this and her studies in international development, Ms. Aryal, after graduation, returned to Nepal to join a team undertaking a situational analysis of persons living with HIV. Here, she had close interactions with the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS. This was followed by a role as a consultant for the United Nations Children’s Fund. Later she joined UN Women, with whom she has served for the past eight years, eventually joining the UN family in China in 2019.

In this episode, Ms. Aryal outlines how the mandate of UN Women, founded in 2010, promotes gender equality and women’s empowerment globally and in China, by supporting intergovernmental bodies, such as the Commission on the Status of Women, in their formulation of policies, global standards and norms, by helping Member States implement these standards through suitable technical and financial support along with partnerships with civil society, and by leading and coordinating the UN’s work on gender equality, promoting accountability through regular monitoring of system-wide progress.

Aryal visited the Institute of High Energy Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, ahead of 2023 International Women's Day. Photo: UN Women/Tian Liming

Aryal visited the pilot village of the UN Women China Qinghai project and talked with the secretary of the village. The secretary was introducing the agricultural products from the local women-led agricultural cooperative. Photo: UN Women/Liu Fenglian

During the conversation, Ms. Aryal highlights UN Women’s work in China to promote the equal participation and leadership of women and girls in all aspects of life. She raises ongoing partnerships, including work with the International Fund for Agricultural Development and relevant government stakeholders on a rural revitalization project in Hunan Province, reaching over 300,000 beneficiaries, which half of them are women and girls. Similar partnerships also include UN Women’s work with the private sector, through involvement with over 400 companies in China on capacity building, development of standards, and other issues following Women’s Economic Empowerment Principles (WEPs). Also discussed is the need to bring in men and boys, as allies and agents of change in promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment.

Together with the Resident Coordinator, the two discuss other challenges and opportunities in the years ahead, particularly in the green and digital economy, the urban-rural divide and in transforming traditional gender norms and expectations, as well as UN Women’s work in China to leave no one behind and contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, as part of the UN system in China.

About the Podcast

A podcast series that brings you the stories behind the representatives of the UN family in China hosted by Siddharth Chatterjee, the UN Resident Coordinator in China. Listen to more episodes [here]

Siddharth Chatterjee

Siddharth Chatterjee took office as the United Nations Resident Coordinator in China on 16 January 2021 and is the designated representative of - and reports to - the UN Secretary-General. He presented his letter of credence to the President of China on 14 April 2021. Chatterjee has more than 25 years of experience in international cooperation, sustainable development, humanitarian coordination and peace and security in the United Nations and the Red Cross movement. He has served in many fragile and war-torn countries all over the world. A 3 times TEDx speaker, he is a regular opinion contributor on humanitarian and development issues for a range of journals which includes Newsweek, Los Angeles Times, Reuters, Huffington Post, Forbes, CNN, Al Jazeera, the Guardian and as of late has also published in mainstream Chinese journals. Chatterjee holds a master’s degree in public policy from Princeton University in the United States of America.

Smriti Aryal

Smriti Aryal took office as the Head of UN Women China on 27 July 2019. She is the first Head of the office to China at the representative level, appointed by UN Women. Aryal is a national of Nepal and brings over 22 years of professional experience in international development and humanitarian assistance, which she has acquired at the United Nations and externally.

Prior to arriving in China, Smriti served as the Head of the Office in Myanmar (2018-2019), after holding key leadership roles including as UN Women’s Regional Advisor and UNAIDS Regional advisor between 2008-2017 based out of Bangkok and with UNICEF from 2000-2006.

She has worked with a wide range of stakeholders including regional and national governments, CSOs and the UN over 12 countries and brings a strong background in public policy development, strategic planning, and strategic partnership related to a host of international development issues.

She has authored and published numerous documents as well as served as a peer reviewer in several international conferences and journals. Ms. Aryal holds a master’s degree Master’s in Public Health from University College London, UK, and a bachelor’s degree in Sociology and Gender Studies from Oregon State University, USA. She is married to a husband and two children, currently living in Beijing.

联合国·中国系列播客，由联合国驻华协调员常启德主持：第十三集，对话联合国妇女署中国办公室代表安思齐女士

2023年3月10日

联合国中国系列播客，带你听听联合国驻华大家庭各位代表的故事。

English | 中文

联合国中国系列播客第十三集，在国际妇女节来临之际，联合国驻华协调员常启德对话联合国促进两性平等和妇女赋权实体（联合国妇女署）中国办公室代表安思齐女士。

安思齐女士是尼泊尔公民，成长于一个普通的中产之家，在三个女儿中排行老大。家庭从小就为安思齐树立了这样的信念：通过努力工作和坚持不懈，她和她的妹妹们可以取得生活中的一切成就。作为一名好学生，她也将其归功于受过良好教育的父母。高中毕业后，安思齐受到鼓励追随父亲的脚步，成为一名工程师，前往美国学习化学工程。然而在那里，她第一次选修的社会学课程令她大开眼界，并促使她转而学习社会科学。

大学期间，安思齐女士密切关注了1995年在北京召开的联合国第四次世界妇女大会。美国前第一夫人希拉里·克林顿出席此次会议，并发表了著名宣言“人权即女权，女权即人权”。受此启发，再加上她在国际发展方面的研究，安思齐女士毕业后回到尼泊尔，加入了一个分析艾滋病病毒感染者情况的团队。期间，她与联合国艾滋病规划署进行了密切交流。此后，她在联合国儿童基金会担任顾问，后来又加入联合国妇女署。在妇女署工作8年后，安思齐女士于2019年加入联合国驻华大家庭。

本集播客中，安思齐女士介绍了成立于2010年的联合国妇女署的使命，以及妇女署如何在全球和中国助力性别平等和妇女赋权。联合国妇女署为妇女地位委员会等政府间机构的政策、全球标准和规范制定提供支持，并通过适当的技术和资金支持以及与民间社会的伙伴关系，协助联合国会员国执行这些标准。此外，联合国妇女署领导并协调联合国在性别平等方面的工作，通过定期监测全系统的进展促进问责。

安思齐女士考察联合国妇女署青海项目试点村，与驻村第一书记聊天。驻村第一书记正在介绍当地妇女主导的农业合作社的农产品。 图片来源：UN Women/Liu Fengliang

2023国际妇女节前夕，安思齐女士参访中科院高能所怀柔园区 图片来源：UN Women/Tian Limin

对话中，安思齐女士重点介绍了联合国妇女署在中国的工作，以促进妇女和女童在生活各个方面的平等参与和领导。她提到了正在开展的伙伴关系，包括与国际农业发展基金和相关政府机构在湖南省开展的乡村振兴项目，该项目惠及300, 000多名受益者，其中一半是妇女和女童。联合国妇女署与私营部门也建立了类似的伙伴关系，在能力建设、标准制定和赋权予妇女原则（WEPs）相关的问题上与中国400多家公司开展合作。此外，对话还讨论了在促进性别平等和增强妇女权能方面，将男性和男孩作为变革盟友和推动者的必要性。

安思齐女士还与联合国驻华协调员常启德一同讨论了未来几年的挑战和机遇，特别是在绿色和数字经济、城乡差距、改变传统性别规范和期望等方面。两人还探讨了联合国妇女署作为联合国驻华系统的一部分，如何在华开展工作，不让任何人掉队，并为实现可持续发展目标作出贡献。

About the podcast

联合国中国系列播客，带你听听联合国驻华大家庭各位代表的故事。收听更多剧集 [在这里]

常启德

常启德于2021年1月16日起担任联合国驻华协调员，他是联合国秘书长的指定代表，并汇报给联合国秘书长。常启德于2021年4月14日向中国国家主席习近平递交委任书。

常启德在国际合作、可持续发展、人道主义协调以及和平与安全领域拥有超过25年的工作经验。他曾任职于联合国多家机构及红十字运动，在世界各地许多脆弱和饱受战争蹂躏的国家工作。

他曾三次发表TEDx演讲，多次在媒体和期刊上就人道主义和发展议题发表文章，其中包括《新闻周刊》、《洛杉矶时报》、路透社、《赫芬顿邮报》、《福布斯》、美国有线电视新闻网、半岛电视台、《卫报》等平台。常启德近期开始在主流中文媒体上发表文章。

常启德拥有美国普林斯顿大学公共政策硕士学位。

安思齐

安思齐女士于2019年7月27日在北京正式履新，担任联合国妇女署中国办公室国别主任。她是首位由联合国妇女署任命的代表级别的中国办公室国别主任。

安思齐女士来自尼泊尔，在国际发展和人道主义援助方面拥有22年的专业经验。

在就任中国办公室国别主任之前，安思齐女士先后在联合国机构担任了多个重要职位，包括联合国妇女署缅甸办公室主任（2018-2019），驻曼谷作为联合国妇女署区域顾问和联合国艾滋病规划署区域顾问（2008-2017），以及联合国儿童基金会官员（2000-2006）。她曾与至少12个国家的国家政府和地方政府、民间社会组织、和联合国机构开展过广泛的合作，并在政策制定、战略规划、伙伴关系发展等国际发展事务中拥有丰富经验。她撰写并发表了大量文章，并在多个国际会议和期刊中担任评审专家。

安思齐女士拥有英国伦敦大学学院公共卫生硕士学位，以及美国俄勒冈州立大学社会学和性别研究学士学位。安思齐女士已婚育有两个孩子，现居住在北京。