Peng Liyuan, wife of Chinese President Xi Jinping, and Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), attended the 2025 UNESCO Prize for Girls’ and Women’s Education award ceremony and the celebration of its 10th anniversary on Friday in Beijing.
Madame Peng, UNESCO Special Envoy for the Promotion of Girls’ and Women’s Education, and Madame Azoulay presented the awards to representatives of the winning projects from Kenya and Lebanon.
In her speech at the event, Madame Peng stated that over the past decade, laureates from around the world and visionary individuals from various sectors have helped girls and women adapt to social development and achieve personal fulfillment through education.
The concept of empowering women through education has gained wide recognition, enabling millions of girls and women to gain the confidence and ability to choose their own path and pursue their dreams, she said, adding that this is the very essence of the prize.
Noting that humanity has now entered the age of intelligence, Madame Peng emphasized the importance of focusing more on women’s scientific education, to help more women gain scientific recognition, learn to apply new technologies, and strengthen their capacity for innovation.
“We must work to ensure that women can embrace the technological revolution and lead fulfilling lives,” said Madame Peng.
She stressed that China has always attached great importance to promoting women’s scientific education and looks forward to deepening cooperation with UNESCO and relevant parties to globally strengthen women’s scientific education capacity and jointly raise its overall level.
In her speech, Madame Azoulay thanked the Chinese government for its invaluable support to UNESCO and warmly praised Madame Peng for her outstanding contribution to the development of girls’ and women’s education worldwide.
Madame Azoulay added that UNESCO is willing to continue deepening exchanges and cooperation with China to promote more fruitful outcomes in the field of girls’ and women’s education globally.
Prior to the ceremony, Madame Peng met with Madame Azoulay. They exchanged views on promoting the development of girls’ and women’s education worldwide. After the meeting, they took a group photo with representatives of the award-winning projects from the past decade and visited a photo exhibition showcasing the winning initiatives.
The award ceremony brought together around 300 participants, including representatives of UN agencies in Beijing, diplomatic envoys from relevant countries in China, and representatives of Chinese and international educators and students, as well as members of the education sector.
Since the joint establishment of the Prize for Girls’ and Women’s Education by China and UNESCO in 2015, 20 projects from 19 countries have received the award.
(Source and Photo: Xinhua)