Peng Liyuan, wife of Chinese President Xi Jinping and UNESCO special envoy for 
the advancement of girls' and women's education, on Friday addressed the online 
award ceremony of the 2021 UNESCO Prize for Girls' and Women's Education.

A project training underrepresented and low-income women and girls to close the 
gender gap in Brazil's technology sector, and another empowering adolescent 
girls and young women in Mozambique through role models and sisterhood circles 
were awarded this year's UNESCO Prize for Girls' and Women's Education, UNESCO 
said. 

Peng extended congratulations to the laureates from Brazil and Mozambique via 
video. 

Since the establishment of the prize in 2015 by UNESCO and China, it has 
exerted a positive influence and inspired more people to devote themselves to 
girls' and women's education, Peng said, adding that hundreds of thousands of 
girls and women have been able to develop their knowledge and learn new skills, 
and build confidence in changing their destiny and pursuing their dreams. 

In addition, an increasing number of people are supporting girls and women's 
education, and promoting gender equality in global education, she said.

Peng also expressed hope that the international community would pay more 
attention to and support the education of girls and women, and make new 
contributions to the realization of the 2030 United Nations Sustainable 
Development Goals.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had negative impact on girls and women in terms of 
education, and Peng called for more efforts to provide them with equal and 
quality education. She advocated making full use of digital technology, sharing 
high-quality online education resources and increasing education support for 
girls and women from poor families and poor regions. She also stressed the 
importance of strengthening health education for girls and women to 
comprehensively improve their physical and mental health.

Meanwhile, Audrey Azoulay, director-general of UNESCO, recognized China's role 
in the establishment of the prize as well as in helping girls and women realize 
their dreams, especially when faced with the challenges brought by the pandemic.

The UNESCO Prize for Girls' and Women's Education honors outstanding and 
innovative contributions made by individuals, institutions and organizations to 
advance girls' and women's education.

https://news.cgtn.com/news/2021-10-15/Peng-Liyuan-attends-UNESCO-award-ceremony-for-girls-women-s-education-14nUt4YoSTm/index.html


SOURCE: CGTN