The three-day conference to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women ended in Beijing on Wednesday afternoon after adopting the Beijing Plus Ten Declaration.
Gu Xiulian, vice chairwoman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress and president of the All-China Women's Federation (ACWF), addressing the closing ceremony, said delegates from around the world had had wide-ranging and in-depth discussions.
Gu said experiences had been shared, consensus reached and friendships deepened.
The Declaration applauded the roles and contributions of women to the realization of equality, development and peace, and recognized their leadership as rich resources and driving forces for development.
It said achievements made in the past decade in the implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action and for women's advancement was inspirational, but expressed concern over obstacles and challenges that remained.
The Declaration reaffirmed commitments to the principle of equality enshrined in the UN Charter, and to the Beijing Declaration, the Platform for Action, the Millennium Declaration and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) as well as the Convention on All Forms of Discrimination against Women.
It said no efforts should be spared to speed up full and effective implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action and the Convention on All Forms of Discrimination against Women, and the attainment of the MDGs.
Today, the delegates from over 80 countries will go to Huairou, where the 1995 Women's NGO Forum was held.
(China.org.cn by staff reporter Zhang Tingting, September 1, 2005)
