On the morning of June 18, the National Working Conference on Increasing the Income of Rural Women Through Science and Technology opened in Beijing. A group of advanced individuals and collectives who guided rural women to increase their incomes through science and technology were awarded in the Great Hall of the People. Wen Jiabao, Member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CCCPC), Member of the Secretariat of the CCCPC and Vice Premier of the State Council, attended the conference and extended congratulations to the winners of the awards on behalf of the CCCPC and the State Council. He expressed his hope for rural women to further improve their qualities, devote themselves to increasing incomes through science and technology and make greater contributions to the rural reform and the country's economic and social development.
Wen Jiabao said: "There are a lot of things that can be done in the rural areas. Rural women should carry forward the spirit of self-respect, self-confidence, self-reliance, and self-improvement, further emancipate the mind, establish new ideas and accept new things, learn new knowledge, work hard in a pioneering spirit, and strive to promote the agricultural and rural economic development with their own intelligence and talents. Women's federations at various levels, with the guidance of the ideas 'three represents,' should focus on the rural reform, development and stability, be more active to meet the need of rural women for knowledge and income increasing, promote the activity 'Double Learning and Double Emulation' and the program 'To Help Women Earn More Income Through Science and Technology,' improve ceaselessly rural women's scientific and cultural knowledge, and make efforts to cultivate the women pacesetters of increasing incomes through science and technology."
The Ten Best Rural Women, the Ten Best Women at Forestation, the Advanced Capable Women of "Double Learning and Double Emulation," the Excellent Workers and Advanced Collectives of Scientific and Technological Service, and the winners of the March 8 Green Medal and March 8 Quality Green Project were awarded at the conference. The All-China Women's Federation (ACWF) also awarded Han Shuqin and others the title of "National March 8 Red-Banner Pacesetter."
In China's rural areas, 5.37 million women became literate in the past three years, 63 million women participated in the training of new farming skills, 1.625 million women gained green certificates, planting over 750 million trees altogether, 17,000 projects with women as the main labor force and 163,000 demonstration bases for science and technology were set up, and 720 million yuan small-loans for poverty alleviation were provided, helping 4.6 million women get rid of poverty.
Peng Peiyun, Vice Chairperson of the NPC Standing Committee and President of the ACWF, and Chen Muhua, Honorary President of the ACWF, attended the conference. Gu Xiulian, Vice President and First Member of the Secretariat of the ACWF, presided over the conference.

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UNGA Special Session on Children Held in New York China's State Councilor Wu Yi Led a Delegation to Be Present

The Special Session on Children of the UN General Assembly was held from May 8 to 10 in the headquarters of the United Nations in New York. The session examined the implementation of the World Declaration on the Survival, Protection and Development of Children and the Plan of Action for Implementing the World Declaration on the Survival, Protection and Development of Children in the 1990s adopted at the 1990 World Summit for Children, reset the strategy and goals of the global course for children's development in the next 10 years, and passed an outcome document entitled "A World Fit For Children." Wu Yi, China's State Councilor and Director of the National Working Committee on Children and Women Under the State Council, attended the session leading a government delegation, accompanied by Gu Xiulian, Vice Director of the committee and Vice President of the ACWF.
During the session, Wu Yi participated in a round-table meeting entitled "Re-confirm Our Commitment to Children in the Coming 10 Years." At the meeting, she said that war and poverty are the main cause of suffering for children. Only eradication of these causes can solve fundamentally the problems concerning children. She appealed in her speech for strengthened cooperation in the international community, along with measures to continue safeguarding world peace and realizing sustainable development as a primary task, to create an advantageous environment for children to live and develop. She emphasized that the world, especially developed countries, should give full consideration to the practical situation and special needs of developing countries and fulfill earnestly the promises in the aspects of finance, debt, trade and aid for development to help the children in developing countries out of dilemma as soon as possible.
During the session, Gu Xiulian participated in the Women Leaders' Forum and delegates from the ACWF successfully hosted the forum on family education and children's development, at which they introduced the experience of China in educating young children.
Before that, delegates from the ACWF also accompanied two Chinese children and participated in the Children's Forum held from May 5 to 7.

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ACWF Sponsored the China-Russia Cultural Week for Women

The First China-Russia Cultural Week for Women, sponsored by the ACWF, was held in Beijing and Shanghai from June 17 to 23.
In all, more than 600 people participated in the opening ceremony in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. They were Peng Peiyun, Vice Chairperson of the NPC Standing Committee and President of the ACWF, and relative leaders from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the International Liaison Department of the CCCPC, the Sino-Russian Committee of Friendship, Peace and Development and the ACWF. They also included representatives of women artists, entrepreneurs, college students and scholars who had studied in Russia in the 1950s, as well as members of the Russian women's delegation.
The opening ceremony was hosted by Gu Xiulian, Vice President and First Member of the Secretariat of the ACWF. On behalf of the Chinese government and the ACWF, Peng Peiyun gave a warm welcome to the Russian women and extended a cordial greeting and good will wish as well. In her speech, she said that the Sino-Russian Treaty of Neighborliness, Friendship and Cooperation signed by the leaders of the two countries last year was a grand matter and a milestone in the history of the two countries' relations. "It is very meaningful for Chinese and Russian women to hold this cultural week together in Beijing on the occasion to commemorate the first anniversary of the treaty," Peng said also. "It shows the beautiful wish of the women and peoples of both countries to stay friends forever and never be enemies.
Xiao Rong, vice chairman on the Chinese side of the Sino-Russian Committee of Friendship, Peace and Development, Volodomanova Natalia, head of the Russian women's delegation, and Sergei N. Goncharov, charge d'affaires from the Russian Embassy, also made speeches at the ceremony.
The cultural week is one of the important serial activities to mark the first anniversary of the signing of the Sino-Russian Treaty of Neighborliness, Friendship and Cooperation. The Russian women's delegation of 50 persons, consisting of such women from different walks of life as women leaders, women artists and women entrepreneurs, came to China and participated in activities held both in Beijing and Shanghai. A song and dance party between Chinese and Russian women, a painting exhibition of Chinese and Russian women artists and a signature activity at the Great Wall entitled "Friendship Between Chinese and Russian Women Lasts Forever" were held in Beijing.
In Shanghai, the Russian women's delegation visited the New Development Region in Pudong, the Shanghai Stock Exchange and a community of local citizens and held a fashion show of Russian women. Zhou Muyao, Vice Mayor of Shanghai, received the delegation. Xie Lijuan, Vice President of the ACWF and Vice Chairperson of the Shanghai People's Political Consultative Conference, met with the delegation and attended the grand closing party.

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Gu Xiulian Paid a Visit to Togo, Rwanda and Burundi

At the invitation of the Ministry of Social Affairs, Women's Promotion and Children's Protection of Togo, the Ministry of Gender and Women's Development of Rwanda and the Ministry of Social Action and Women's Development of Burundi, the five-member Chinese women's delegation headed by Gu Xiulian, Vice President and First Member of the Secretariat of the ACWF, paid a goodwill visit to the above-mentioned three countries from March 22 to April 4.
The delegation was warmly welcomed and received with great courtesy by the governments and peoples of the three countries. Togolese President Eyadema, Burundian President Buyoya, Rwandan Prime Minister Makuza, and the First Ladies of the three countries met with the delegation respectively. Also, fruitful working conferences were held between the delegation and the three ministries. The delegation visited many women's projects including a women's sewing workshop, a women's bank, a women's association against AIDS, and a girls' school. The delegation also donated sewing machines and grain grinders to Burundian women.

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Panama's Minister for Women Visited China

At the invitation of the ACWF, a six-member Panamanian women's delegation headed by Alba Tejada de Rolla, Minister for Youth, Women, Children and Family of Panama, visited Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen from May 19 to 29.
It is the first visit to China by a cabinet minister of Panama's current government. The delegation included two cabinet ministers and a senior congressperson. Most members of the delegation came to China the first time. Peng Peiyun, Vice Chairperson of the NPC Standing Committee and President of the ACWF, gave a banquet in honor of guests. Besides cordial and friendly conversations with leaders of the ACWF, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Education and some local leaders, the delegation visited China Women's College, a community service center and an activity center for women and children.
Very satisfied with this visit, the delegation expressed that future friendly exchanges between the women and women's organizations of the two countries should be carried out at multiple layers and through multiple channels so as to promote the establishment of a mechanism of exchanges between the peoples of the two countries. Gloria del Carmen Young Chizmar, Congressperson of Panama for two terms, said: "China is an ancient country with a long history and splendid culture. Its development today cannot be separated from its history." She believed that China's future would be still more beautiful.
When visiting a community of Chinese citizens and a college for elderly people, Minister Alba Tejada de Rolla and her husband praised sincerely, "How happy Chinese elderly people are! We'd like to come here to spend our later years when we retire."

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Plaque "Sino-African Spring Bud School" Revealed in Mentougou

On June 26, the Group of Spouses of African Heads of Diplomatic Missions in Beijing went to Dacun Central Primary School, Yanchi Town, Mentougou District, to donate RMB 40,000 yuan to the school for the second year in a row. The ceremony to reveal the plaque "Sino-African Spring Bud School" was held.
Headmaster Yang, the headmaster of Dacun Central Primary School, expressed sincere thanks to the Group of Spouses of African Heads of Diplomatic Missions in Beijing for their generous donation. He told the African ladies last year's donation of 40,000 yuan aided 47 girls in poverty to go to school, helped buy school uniforms for the students, and allowed the purchase of three new computers for the computer classroom. This year, the donation would be used to set up a multimedia classroom in the school. Headmaster Yang said: "Now our school is named 'Sino-African Spring Bud School,' which gives great encouragement to the teachers and students and is a symbol of the deep friendship between China and Africa."
Long Jiangwen, Deputy Director General of International Liaison Department of the ACWF, expressed that love from the African ladies will encourage the children to study harder so as to become useful talented people and the friendly envoys between China and African countries.
Hannah Deen, Chairperson of the Group of Spouses of African Heads of Diplomatic Missions in Beijing and wife of the Sierra Leonean Ambassador to China, said that the ACWF and the group were close friends for many years and the two sides should support and help each other. The ACWF played an important role in the work on the growth of the next generation of China. The group was proud of the achievements by the ACWF in the causes of women and children, wishing the ACWF to make greater success in the future work.

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A Brief on Friendly Exchanges
(From April to June, 2002)
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From March 26 to April 3, at the invitation of the ACWF the four-member Libyan women's delegation headed by Dr Salme Shaban Abdel Jabar, Secretary for Social Affairs of the General People's Congress of Libya, visited Beijing, Shanghai and Xi'an. During their stay in Beijing, Peng Peiyun, Vice Chairperson of the NPC Standing Committee and President of the ACWF, met and dined with the delegation. Shen Shuji, Vice President of the ACWF, presided over the working conference.
From April 9 to 23, at the invitation of the Ministry of Promotion of the Development of Women and Human of Peru and the Women's Federation of Cuba, the five-member Chinese women's delegation headed by Peng Gang, Vice President of the ACWF, paid a friendly visit to the two countries above.
From April 16 to 18, the ACWF and Peace Links of Japan held forums on women's participation in society and children's education in Beijing. The delegation of Peace Links of Japan headed by Hashimoto Humiko, President of Peace Links of Japan and wife of the former Japanese Prime Minister Hashimoto Ryutaro, along with the wife of the Japanese Ambassador to China, attended the forums.
On April 17, at the invitation of the Group of Spouses of African Heads of Diplomatic Missions in Beijing, Gu Xiulian, Vice President and First Member of the Secretariat of the ACWF, and some staff members of the ACWF participated in the banquet in the Sierra Leonean Embassy
From April 22 to 29, at the invitation of the ACWF, the five-member Bulgarian women's delegation headed by Emilia Maslarova, Chairperson of the Democratic Union of Women and Deputy Chairperson of the Parliamentary Group of the Coalition for Bulgaria, paid a visit to Beijing, Xi'an and Shanghai.
On April 24, Gu Xiulian, Vice President and First Member of the Secretariat of the ACWF, met with Simone Ehivet Gbagbo, First Lady of Cote d'Ivoire, on her visit to China.
Juana Conrad, President of Women for International Peace and Arbitration, visits the project "Water Cellar for Mothers" in Zhangxian County, Gansu Province.