Video | CCG-UN Women presents | In Celebration of IWD2023

DigitALL - A Symposium on Gender Responsive Technology and Innovation in the 21st Century

[English]

[Chinese]

Technologies and innovation are transforming society at a rapid pace, enabling unprecedented advances that are improving the social, economic, and political status of women and girls, while at the same time creating profound new challenges that can perpetuate and deepen existing patterns of gender inequality. Exposing women and girls to technology results in more creative solutions and creates greater potential for innovations that meet women’s needs and promote gender equality. By designing and adopting a gender-responsive approach to innovation, technology and digital education, immense opportunities can be harnessed to accelerate the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and reach the goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.


This event, which was held on March 8th to mark International Women's Day, brought together a diverse group of government agencies, embassies, UN entities, financial institutions, academics, and leading think tanks to share best practices on policies and programs to bridge the digital gender divide and identify actions that enable gender-transformative technology and innovation.
The event was attended by representatives from United Nations organizations including UN Women, UNDP, UNESCO and UNICEF, embassy officials from the European Union and a number of embassies including those of Korea, the Republic of Uganda, the United Arab Emirates, Israel, Cyprus, Slovenia, the Bahamas and the Seychelles Chinese government officials were also on hand from the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, as were experts and scholars from think tanks, universities and representatives from the business community.
The welcoming remarks were delivered by Dr. Mabel Miao, Co-founder and Secretary-General of CCG, and Ms. Smriti Aryal, Country Representative of UN Women China. Mr. Siddharth Chatterjee, UN Resident Coordinator in China made a keynote speech. A special message from the Chinese government was delivered by Mr. Chen Dali, Deputy Director-General of the Department of International Cooperation and Exchange, Ministry of Education, and Ms. Zhang Xiaoyan, Vice President of China Center for Information Industry Development (CCID).



In her opening address, Dr. Mabel Miao welcomed guests to CCG and noted how the rapid pace of technological innovation in 21st century has brought unprecedented advancement in improving the social, economic, and political status of women and girls, while also creating new challenges that can exacerbate existing patterns of gender inequality. She expressed the sincere hope that CCG can play a positive role and contribute to efforts to promote “gender equality” in the 21st century, collaborating with the UN, the business community, and government institutions to accelerate the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and achieve the goals set out in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.


Ms. Smriti Aryal emphasized that we live in a digital era with technological advancements that have created unprecedented opportunities for growth and development, and at the same time, pose challenges that can perpetuate and deepen existing patterns of inequalities. She also that China’s rapid advancements in digital and green transformation gives the world a tremendous opportunity to ensure that women and girls benefit from and shape these transformations equally.



Mr. Siddharth Chatterjee emphasized the urgent need for people to work together to identify solutions that distribute the benefits of digitalization equally to achieve the sustainable development goals. He advised that governments, businesses, civil society, women’s organizations and academic institutions to come together to integrate gender perspectives into digital plans and policies, by investing in more robust research on the barriers women face, the efficacy of efforts that have attempted to overcome these barriers, and evidence-based programmes that give women the access and skills they need to engage in, lead, and help shape the digital space.



Mr. CHEN Dali highlighted the fact that women have been pioneers of human civilization and drivers of social progress. Since the adoption of the China’s policy of reform and opening up, education for girls and women has continued to improve and China has made new progress in ensuring women have access to education, employment and overseas studies. He also noted that China will also actively fulfil its international responsibilities to promote gender equality worldwide, safeguard women's right to education and promote the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action.

Ms. ZHANG Xiaoyan noted that there have always been “three uncertainties” regarding gender equality issues in the digital era. The first one is gender imbalance. In digital education, gender inequality has the possibility of worsening and she believes that one of the key issues for female development in the digital economy in Europe is to close the gender digital divide in education. The second is whether prejudice against women will continue in the digital era. It is believed that digital transformation will create more job opportunities for women, but for that to happen, people need to abandon the stereotypes associated with women. However, there is also the possibility that women will be more likely put at risk in the course of digital transformation. The third uncertainty is that of limited opportunities for women in leadership positions. The world needs to advocate for and encourage women in the workplace to make more contributions in their careers.  


The symposium consisted of two sessions. Session one focused on " Gender-responsive technology design, development, and deployment & gender-inclusive innovation and digital ecosystems".This session was moderated by Dr. Mabel Miao, Co-founder and Secretary-General of the Center for China and Globalization (CCG).Participants in this session included: 

Prof. Fang Xin, academician of The World Academy of Sciences for the Advancement of Science in Developing Countries (TWAS);

H.E. Ali Obaid Al Dhaheri, Ambassador of UAE to China; H.E. Oliver Wonekha, Ambassador of Uganda to China;

Ms. Beate Trankmann, Resident Representative of UNDP China;

Mr. Shahbaz Khan, director and representative of UNESCO office in Beijing;

Ms. Xu Fang, Managing Partner of Galaxy Ventures.

Session two focused on "Protection and economic empowerment of women and girls in the context of digitalization and innovation".

This session was moderated by Ms. Yang Ruikan, Partnerships Specialist at UN Women China.Participants in this session included: H.E. Martha Mavrommati, Ambassador of Cyprus to China;Mr. Liu Zhen, Vice President of Kuaishou;

Ms. Dora Giusti, Child Protection Chief at the UNICEF China;

Ms. Kathy Gong, CEO and Co-Founder of WafaGames;

Ms. Zhao Xin, Co-founder and Secretary-General of Artic Green Energy Group.


The symposium also featured a special dialogue session on "Making Sure Women Have a Seat at that Table: Strengthening the voice of women on technology and innovation decisions that will define the 21st century - Insights from women leaders in international trade ". This session was moderated by Ms. Helene Juramy, Trade Officer at the European Union Delegation. Ms. Arancha González, Dean and Professor of the Paris School of International Affairs at Sciences Po., former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Spain, former Cabinet Director for the Director-General of the World Trade Organization, sent a special message.

Participants in this session included: 

H.E. Alenka Suhadolnik, Ambassador of Slovenia to China;Prof. LYU Yue, Professor of International Trade, University of International Business and Economics (UIBE);

Ms. Karen Guo, Vice President of Public Affairs at Novartis China and Chair of the Business Sustainability Committee of AmCham China.Ms. Helene Juramy, Trade Officer at the European Union Delegation.

CCG Books

● Published by Palgrave Macmillan Singapore

● Editors: Wang Huiyao, Miao Lu

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This book aims to help readers make sense of our changing world by sharing the views of global thought leaders on some of the most important issues of our time, from US-China relations and global governance to climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic.

The ten dialogues in this book were part of the “China and the World” series of online discussions hosted by the Center for China and Globalization (CCG). The series features CCG President Huiyao Wang in conversation with experts from a range of fields, from renowned scholars of international relations, economics, and history, to journalists, policymakers, and business leaders.

● Links：

https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-981-19-3846-7

● Published by Springer 

● Authors: Wang Huiyao

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This book focuses on globalization and China’s evolving role in the world, offering unique perspectives on a number of developments during a tumultuous period that began with Donald Trump’s election and ended with the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic. This period saw the global landscape reshaped by China’s continued rise, intensifying great power competition, and a public health crisis that has changed how we live.

The essays center on three interconnected themes – China’s remarkable development under its policy of Reform and Opening-up, China’s deepening integration into the global economy and rise in an increasingly multipolar world, as well as the quest to revitalize global governance and multilateralism to address the pressing global challenges of the 21st century.

● Links：

https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-981-16-9253-6

● Published by Springer 

● Edited by Wang Huiyao and Miao Lu 

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China and the World in a Changing Context-Perspectives from Ambassadors to China is the latest volume in CCG’s “China and Globalization” series, which seeks to create a balanced global perspective by gathering the views of highly influential scholars, practitioners, and opinion leaders from around the world on issues of policy and governance.

Ambassadors are a kind of vehicle and bellwether for globalization. These diplomatic envoys serve as pivotal contact points between nations across a wide range of fields, from economics and culture, to health and the environment. The special group of ambassadors in this book – all based in Beijing – are at the forefront of what, for many countries, is one of their most important bilateral relationships and the platform for one of the most striking and consequential developments in global affairs in the 21st century: the rise of China on the world stage.

● Links：

https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-981-16-8086-1

● Published by Springer 

● Edited by Wang Huiyao and Miao Lu 

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Released nearly two years after the outbreak of COVID-19, Transition and Opportunity brings together an array of CEOs and senior executives from leading multinationals, leaders of foreign trade associations and representatives of advocacy groups on the ground in China to share their views on the potential and risks China holds for business as the world economy recovers.

The 22 entries in this book include contributions from the heads of Beijing-based chambers of commerce representing the EU, the US, France, Switzerland and Brazil and others, CEOs and senior executives of MNCs like Airbus, Royal DSM, Michelin, LinkedIn and Herbalife as well as representatives of global consulting firms like KPMG, PwC, Accenture and Roland Berger.

Divided into three parts - ‘The Big Picture,’ ‘Analysis and Advice,’ and ‘On the Ground’ - content progresses from looking at how countries balance their own interests with China’s for that elusive ‘win-win’ formula, to the role consultancies and advisors play in helping companies succeed,  then looking at the experiences of individual companies to see how they have adapted and thrived in China.

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● Links：

https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-981-16-8603-0

● Published by Springer 

● Edited by Wang Huiyao and Alistair Michie 

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This book brings together leading international scholars and policy-makers to explore the challenges and dilemmas of globalization and governance in an era increasingly defined by economic crises, widespread populism, retreating internationalism, and a looming cold war between the United States and China. It provides the diversity of views on those widely concerned topics such as global governance, climate change, global health, migration, S&T revolution, financial market, and sustainable development.

● Links：

https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-981-16-5391-9

● Published by Springer 

● Edited by Wang Huiyao, President and Miao Lu, Vice President, Center for China and Globalization(CCG), Beijing, China 

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The internationalization of Chinese enterprises is one of the most notable aspects of economic globalization in the 21st century. Despite the 2008 financial crisis and weak global outbound investment, under the “go global“ initiative, Chinese outbound investment has gone from strength to strength, while also diversifying in terms of investment modalities, destinations, and industries. However, growing anti-globalization sentiment in some countries has also created new challenges for Chinese firms expanding internationally.

Drawing on nearly 3000 data samples, using both quantitative and qualitative research methods, this book presents unique insights into the features and patterns of Chinese enterprises’ globalization. The analysis provides a useful reference for enterprises that have already gone global and those that plan to. In particular, this book investigates challenges confronted by Chinese companies when doing business in foreign countries. It summarizes research covering three angles, namely: the current situation, causation analysis and corresponding solutions, and recommendations for firms, government agencies and other institutions.

This book provides a comprehensive overview to help readers to grasp the broad picture of the international expansion of Chinese enterprises. It has important reference value for enterprises to help devise foreign investment strategy, seize opportunities, and navigate challenges in the course of globalization.

● Links：

https://www.springer.com/cn/book/9789811546457

● Published by Edward Elgar 

● Edited by Wang Huiyao, President and Miao Lu, Vice President, Center for China and Globalization(CCG), Beijing, China 

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An excellent guide for understanding the trends, challenges and opportunities facing China through globalization, this Handbook answers the pertinent questions regarding the globalization process and China’s influence on the world.

With contributions from leading experts and international researchers, each chapter covers key topics regarding China’s participation in globalization, including: China’s new role in global economic governance; outward direct investment; China’s soft power and the implications for foreign relations; global migration, diaspora and talent. An enriching range of case studies and extensive empirical research are used to explore the successes and failures of globalization in China, and to discuss the dilemmas facing decision makers in today’s globalized world. A major contribution to the field, this Handbook offers valuable insights to China’s often misunderstood globalization process.

An essential reference for academics and researchers looking for a go-to empirical resource, this Handbook provides scholars of economics, politics and East Asian studies with an exemplary selection of contemporary research on China and globalization.

● Links：

https://www.e-elgar.com/shop/handbook-on-china-and-globalization

● Published by Springer

● Authors: Wang Huiyao, President and Miao Lu, Vice President, Center for China and Globalization(CCG), Beijing, China 

The first effort to address the gap regarding higher-end talent within the scholarly work on internal labor migration in China

Provides an essential overview of the major milestones in China’s talents attraction policies, as well as several recommendations to help further improve those policies

Investigates corresponding policies in Germany, Japan, and Singapore to serve as a basis for comparison

Provides a snapshot of first-hand reference material for relevant stakeholders involved in cooperation with China

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This book offers the most comprehensive, up-to-date assessment of China’s domestic and international migration. Restructuring economic development requires large numbers of educated and skilled talents, but this effort comes at a time when the size of China’s domestic workforce is shrinking. In response, both national and regional governments in China have been keen to encourage overseas Chinese talents and professionals to return to the country. Meanwhile, the Chinese government has initiated a number of policies to attract international highly-skilled talents and enhance the country’s competitiveness, and some Chinese policies have started attracting foreign talents, who are coming to the country to work, and even to stay. Since Chinese policies, mechanisms, and administration efforts to attract and retain skilled domestic or overseas talents are helping to reshape China’s economy and are significantly affecting the cooperation on migration and talent mobility, these aspects, in addition to being of scholarly and research interest, hold considerable commercial potential.

● Links：

https://www.springer.com/gp/book/9789811362552#aboutBook

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