On November 7th, the opening ceremony of the 9th World Women University Presidents Forum was held in Xi 'an Technological University. Many honored guests attended the opening ceremony and delivered speeches, or through online media, to witness and warmly congratulate the forum, including Chen Zhili, Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the 11th National People's Congress and Chairman of the 10th All-China Women's Federation, Bokova, former Director-General of UNESCO, Fernando, Chairman of the International Association of University Presidents and President of CETYS University in Mexico, Li Weihong, former deputy minister of the Minister of Education, Xia Jie, Vice Chairman of the All-China Women's Federation and Secretary general of its Secretariat, Gulsun, President of the European Women Rectors Association, Zhao Gang, Vice Governor of Shaanxi Province.
This opening ceremony was hosted by Lei Yaping, President of Xi 'an Technological University.
Chen Xiaoya, former deputy minister of the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Science and Technology, consultant of the Organizing Committee of the World University Women Presidents Forum, Jiang Feng, deputy director of the Standing Committee of Shaanxi Provincial People's Congress and deputy secretary of the Party Group, Wang Haiyan, director of Gansu Provincial Education Department, Liu Jianlin, director of Shaanxi Provincial Education Department, Wang Chunxiu, deputy director of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region Education Department, Zheng Xiaojing, former party secretary of Xidian university, and other leading guests attended the opening ceremony.
Chen Zhili highly acknowledged in her speech the role played by the World Women University Presidents Forum, and reaffirmed its great achievements in higher education for it continuously focused on women’s growth, development and leadership enhancement, served as a platform for the exchange of academic ideas, and promoted international and regional cooperation among universities. The forum is an embodiment of perseverance, wisdom and passion of women university presidents around the world. Chen stated that China attached great importance to women’s work. Once at the High-level Meeting of the UN General Assembly to commemorate the 25th Anniversary of Beijing World Conference on Women, General Secretary of the Party Xi Jinping pointed out that women were the pioneers of human civilization and the promoters of social progress, who made extraordinary achievements in all walks of life. He also pointed out that the protection of women’s rights and interests must be given rise to the national will, so as to facilitate women to the forefront of the times, support and help them enjoy a wonderful life.
Chen also pointed out that with the theme of “Global Empathy, Mutual learning of Civilizations, University Innovation”, this forum places university innovation on the horizon of mutual learning in different civilizations, setting on a high vision. In line with that theme, she put forward to three thoughts: first, calling for global empathy, advocating mutual learning among civilizations, and constructing a community of shared future for mankind for they are the foundations for controlling crises and risks as well as maintaining the global governance system. Second, universities should participate and make their own contributions. In order to promote mutual learning among civilizations, there is an urgent need to build such educational values as “mankind is the child of nature” and “a community of shared future for all mankind”, and to reexamine our anthropocentrism and unrestrained consumerism. Universities, at the top of the education system, therefore, are responsible for promoting the ideas of global governance and mutual learning among civilizations. They should explore and construct a “global governance knowledge system” to make more outstanding and practical contributions. Third, our women university presidents should maintain the pioneering and innovative spirit to pursue excellence, lead women to move forward to pursue an education that advocates morality and virtue, and emphasize the consistence between knowledge and practice for these are indeed the noble realm of education. When facing the new century and new era, universities must shoulder greater responsibilities in teaching and educating people. She encouraged us to make persistent efforts in innovation and reform, to stand at the forefront of the times and lead the education reform and women’s movement. She also expected that the World Women University Presidents Forum will make new contributions to the promotion of global governance, the mutual learning among civilizations, and university innovation.
With a review of her visit in Xi’an, an ancient city, when she served in UNESCO, Bokova emphasized the significance of culture and heritage, and of mutual communication among different cultures one has been sharing and learning about in human history. Today the world is, she pointed out, facing many new challenges and the most severe crisis since the World War II: COVID-19 is still spreading, and economy is contracting with job markets shrinking, inequality and poverty intensified, and food security threatened. We must commit ourselves, in these moments of great crisis, to sustainable development agreed in the Paris Climate Agreement, the Beijing Declaration and the Platform for Action, with an adherence to multilateralism and the role of the United Nations. Bokova believed that the forum could call on for gender equality, women’s rights and interests, sustainable development, education and human dignity.
Fernando congratulated the Forum on its 20th anniversary on behalf of the International Association of University Presidents. He said that the epidemic had brought great impacts and challenges to higher education, and there was a topic universities worldwide need to face and think about— how to change educational concepts, educational models and teaching methods, with global epidemics spreading. Following the teaching practice of CETYS University responding to the pandemic, Fernando proposed, as a university leader, one should re-examine his missions, including the reshaping and remolding of academic and business models, in accordance with educational reforms, and the improvement of the quality of education.
In today’s world, “with great changes unseen within a hundred years”, and full of uncertainties and instabilities, Li Weihong pointed out, in the year of epidemic COVID-19 spreading, it was highly realistic and forward-looking to discuss the theme of the times, “global empathy, mutual learning of civilizations and university innovation”, a reflection of female presidents’ responsibilities in this new era. She hoped that the guests would share their experiences in innovative education forms under the situation of epidemic prevention and control, promote the high-quality development of higher education, and improve the governance capacity and level of higher education. They would reach a broad consensus through experience sharing and in-depth exchanges and with the theme of “global empathy, mutual learning among civilizations and university innovation”, provide new ideas for the development of higher education and its cultural exchanges, and provide certainties along the development of human society.
Xia Jie, on behalf of All-China Women's Federation, congratulated on the opening of the forum. She pointed out that this forum focuses on global empathy and cooperation, very much fitting into the vision of common development of mankind. Mankind is a community of shared future. It is not only the responsibility of all countries but also the common mission of universities to cope with global issues. Only by sowing the seeds of gender equality in education can we bear its fruits in our future life. Xia said that female university presidents are the best among women, the leaders of higher education. She is looking forward to see their brilliant insights and cooperation to train more outstanding females, contributing to the promotion of gender equality and women’s all-round development. Xia also believed that the brilliant dialogue between women presidents would enable Xi’an, the ancient capital to glow with more beautiful light of education, wisdom and civilization, which could greatly promote exchanges and mutual learning and human civilization in various countries and regions.
Gulsun set forth the importance of rebuilding values and human values from a series of severe issues the world is confronted with at present. She said that gender equality was the basic requirement and an important approach to guarantee women’s rights, and the foundation of establishing a peaceful, prosperous and sustainable world. She hoped that the forum could keep playing its role in capturing the public’s attention to gender equality and leadership of women university presidents.
After briefly introducing the achievements of education, science, technology and culture in Shaanxi Province, Zhao Gang, vice governor, said that women, pioneers of human civilization and promoters of social progress, had made great achievements in all walks of life. Facing the unprecedented changes in the past century, we should adapt ourselves to the global empathy and have consciousness of the mankind community of shared future to promote the exchanges of policies and experiences among governments, international organizations, business associations and other organizations, and cultivate diversified partnerships. We should encourage mutual learning, make full use of education in cultural exchanges and set up a new mechanism for educational cooperation and exchanges, so that all kinds of civilizations can appreciate the values of others as do to one's own. We should be dedicated to “university innovation” to seize the opportunity of the fourth industrial revolution. As the origin of innovation, universities should play the role in promoting new discoveries in natural science, new achievements in technology and new ways of social communication to emerge constantly.
Liao Xiangzhong, Secretary of CPCC and President of Communication University of China, and Liu Weiguo, Secretary of CPPC of Xi 'an Technological University, delivered warm welcoming speeches on behalf of the organizers, to all leaders and guests who attended the forum.
Liao Xiangzhong spoke highly of the role played by the World Women University Presidents Forum in the past 20 years and expressed sincere appreciation and admiration to the group of university women presidents, represented by the elder president Liu Jinan, who relentlessly kept the faith of building on the forum and fulfilling missions despite various difficulties. He also pointed out that the forum has become an important transcontinental and trans-cultural platform between the east and the west, helping them share wisdom in running universities, promoting exchanges and cooperation in higher education, and practicing concept of global civilization, culture inclusiveness and mutual learning.
This forum has become an emotional bond and spiritual home connecting female principals, nurtured many valuable ideas for the development of higher education, made outstanding contributions to educational humanities exchanges and cooperation, and demonstrated the leading role of female principals in improving women’s leadership. He said that human beings were a community of destiny sharing weal and woe, and only empathy could bring us win-win prospect.
Only when civilization moves from confrontation to communication and mutual learning, can we live endlessly and coexist in diversity; Universities should not only be upright, pursue truth and rationality, but also innovate and adapt to the changes of science, technology and industry. Facing the global society with increasing uncertainties and instabilities, the reconstruction of global industrial, commercial and social forms, and the unprecedented challenges of all mankind, universities should make a difference, and women should be fully empowered. He expected that experts and scholars attending the meeting would have in-depth discussions and full exchanges around the theme, and contribute new ideas to cultural exchanges and cooperation among countries, tolerance and mutual learning among world civilizations, thus create a new situation.
Liu Weiguo said, with great passion, that today's meeting was a grand meeting for women, for the whole world and for higher education. In the long process of human social development, Eastern and Western civilizations have always been connected, learning from each other and making up for their shortcomings through mutual exchanges. Higher education is powerful for human social progress, with its adherence to the notion of " a community of common destiny for all mankind ", its attention to all kinds of potential risks from nature, and its focus on all kinds of challenges faced in social development. Women, with wisdom and beauty, play the leading role in promoting social progress and civilization development. He believed that women could strive for the promotion of human development with a great potential.
Focusing on the theme of "Global Empathy, Mutual Learning among Civilizations, University Innovation", nearly 200 female university presidents from 64 countries and regions participated in the opening ceremony online and offline. The forum received great attention from the media. Media platforms broadcast the opening ceremony of the forum, such as xuexi.cn, People's Daily Online, cctv.com, Iqiyi, bilibili, weibo.cn, Tik Tok, www.cuc.edu.cn, smartprogram.baidu.com, The Paper.cn, and etc..
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