UN agencies convene high-level dialogue in Beijing to mark International Women’s Day 2026
Date:
Author: Wenting Zhao
Beijing, China — According to UN Women research, no country in the world has achieved full legal equality for women and girls, and it will take 286 years to close legal protection gaps.
To mark International Women’s Day (IWD) 2026, a High-Level Dialogue entitled “Rights. Justice. Action. For ALL Women and Girls” brought together more than a hundred representatives from government, the judiciary, civil society, academia, media, the private sector and UN agencies at the United Nations Compound in Beijing. Aligned with the global IWD theme, the dialogue focused on strengthening access to justice and advancing women’s equal rights and economic participation.
It was jointly organized by UN Women, together with the International Labour Organization (ILO), the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
Without justice, rights remain words;
With justice, rights become power.
Discussions highlighted progress, emerging challenges and opportunities for multi-stakeholder collaboration, alongside a call for greater action to end impunity, uphold the rule of law and deliver equality – in law and in practice – so that all women and girls can live safely, speak freely and enjoy equal rights in every sphere of life.
The opening ceremony featured remarks by Feng Ling, Vice President and Secretariat Member of the All-China Women’s Federation, and Shahbaz Khan, the UN Resident Coordinator in China (ad interim).
“Today, as we hold this commemorative event under the theme of ‘Rights. Justice. Action. For All Women and Girls’, we are advancing the implementation of the outcomes of the 2025 Global Leaders’ Meeting on Women and follow-up actions of Beijing+30,” said Ling. “This reflects the international community’s commitment to build consensus, take actions and forge new pathways for accelerating the advancement of gender equality globally.”
Khan emphasized the central role of justice in sustainable development, noting: : “History shows us that progress is possible. Legal reform has opened doors to economic opportunity for hundreds of millions of women worldwide. These gains did not happen by chance. They happened because laws were reformed, institutions were challenged, and women’s voices were brought to the centre of decision-making.”
Keynote addresses were delivered by Xu Xiangchun, Director General of the Public Interest Litigation Department of the Supreme People’s Procuratorate (SPP) of China, and Wu Jingli, Deputy Chief Judge of the First Civil Division of the Supreme People’s Court of China. Both speakers shared recent progress and achievements in strengthening judicial protection of women’s rights in China.
UN Women China and the SPP also launched a joint IWD video with the shared message: Compromise is Not Equality. The video features four advocates working at the forefront of advancing gender equality and women’s rights, tracing a powerful shift from “she could” to “she can,” showing how law, justice and collective action turn rights from words into lived realities, and how women are shaping and leading change when equality is non-negotiable.
Panel discussions brought together voices from academia, women’s federations, social service organizations, the private sector and UN agencies. Speakers shared practical approaches to advancing gender-responsive justice systems, addressing systemic barriers, particularly amid rapid technological change, and promoting women’s equal economic participation through laws, policies and industry practices.
Aligned with China’s 15th Five-Year Plan principle of promoting social fairness and justice, the dialogue underscored the importance of a whole-of-society approach to ensure women’s full and equal enjoyment of rights.
