Peng Liyuan, wife of Chinese President Xi Jinping and UNESCO Special Envoy for the Promotion of Girls' and Women's Education, called on the international community to actively develop digital and intellectual education for women. She emphasized the necessity of ensuring that women have the opportunity to use and benefit from digital and intellectual technologies.
These statements were made by Peng during the UNESCO Prize for Girls' and Women's Education 2026 awards ceremony, which took place in Paris on Friday local time. She noted that girls' and women's education remains a complex challenge and strongly urged the global community to join forces to improve the professional education and training of women, helping them build a path to a successful life.
Peng congratulated this year's laureates, who represent Morocco and Peru. She stated that girls' and women's education is a key indicator of human civilization's progress and noted that progress has been made in this worthy cause thanks to UNESCO's active support and the coordinated efforts of the international community in recent years.
Highlighting that China has always attached great importance to girls' and women's education, Peng announced China's commitment to assisting women in China in obtaining the best education and leading a meaningful life. She added that China actively and broadly cooperates with UNESCO and other parties, implementing a number of programs that benefit women around the world.
She also mentioned that China's efforts in recent years to use artificial intelligence to improve the quality of education have contributed not only to gender equality in education and the comprehensive development of women but have also provided valuable experience for countries in the Global South.
Peng concluded that promoting girls' and women's education sows hope, nurtures dreams, and reaps abundant happiness. She expressed her willingness to work with all participants as the UNESCO Prize for Girls' and Women's Education enters a new decade to promote greater progress and contribute to a brighter future where more women can thrive and shine.
Since the establishment of the prize by China in cooperation with UNESCO in 2015, the award has continued to have a positive impact and attract wide attention and high recognition from the international community.