On May 22, the main Sci-Tech Empowering Rural Transformation: 2025 HER Power, HER Stories Dialogue events began in Fenghuang County, Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, Hunan Province.
On May 22, the main Sci-Tech Empowering Rural Transformation: 2025 HER Power, HER Stories Dialogue events are held in Fenghuang County, Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, Hunan Province.
Featuring the theme “Technological Progress Bringing New Opportunities for Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment,” ways that digital transformation and technological innovation can boost women’s economic independence, reduce their labor burdens, and elevate their decision-making power in their families and communities are being explored at the dialogue. Chinese experience is also being contributed to global efforts to promote gender-sensitive rural transformation in the digital era, in addition to strategies China has used in poverty reduction and balanced regional development being showcased.
The fourth iteration of the annual Sci-Tech Empowering Rural Transformation event series, this year’s holds special significance – it coincides with the 80th anniversary of the United Nations and the 30th anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women– the most important of the four conferences on women held between 1975 and 1995 – and the adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action – a visionary agenda for the empowerment of women.
Drawing on insights contained in the 2024 Sci-Tech Empowering Rural Transformation: HER Power, HER Stories report – a collaborative effort that delineates various challenges encountered in empowering rural women through science and technology and indicates that China has created an effective institutional environment that facilitates women’s active participation in agricultural development and that this is a primary factor that enables technology to empower Chinese women – the Sci-Tech Empowering Rural Transformation: 2025 HER Power, HER Stories Dialogue features a rich mix of dialogue sessions, case study exhibitions, visual storytelling, field visits, and thematic panels designed to highlight the latest trends and practices with regard to how women, both in China and globally, are using technology to drive development and also fosters knowledge exchange and cooperation pertaining to gender-equitable rural innovation among developing countries.
Co-hosted by a coalition of Chinese and international organizations, including the China Internet Information Center (CIIC), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Representation in China, the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) China Office, the World Food Programme (WFP) China Office, the Centre for Sustainable Agricultural Mechanization of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP-CSAM), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in China, and the People’s Government of Fenghuang County, the event is also supported by the Ant Foundation and the China Foundation for Rural Development (CFRD).
Around 100 participants – including rural women, scholars, government officials, representatives of international organizations, NGOs, and businesses, and members of the media – are engaging either in person or online.
A pre-recorded video message by Siddharth Chatterjee, UN resident coordinator in China, plays during the Sci-Tech Empowering Rural Transformation: 2025 HER Power, HER Stories Dialogue opening ceremony.
“When we invest in women’s access to science and technology in rural communities, the benefits ripple across entire societies,”stated Siddharth Chatterjee, UN resident coordinator in China, in a pre-recorded video message that was played during the event’s opening ceremony. “China’s rural e-commerce villages, women-led agritech cooperatives, and digital literacy campaigns offer models the world can follow.”
A pre-recorded video message by Gao Anming, editor-in-chief of the China International Communications Group and director general of the China Internet Information Center, plays during the Sci-Tech Empowering Rural Transformation: 2025 HER Power, HER Stories Dialogue opening ceremony.
Gao Anming, editor-in-chief of the China International Communications Group (CICG) and director general of the CIIC, echoed the sentiment, remarking: “When digital technology meets women’s creativity, it transcends geographical and gender boundaries. China’s experiences in driving equity through innovation offer valuable lessons for the world.”
“As a documenter and communicator of global development, the CICG tells the world how China is turning ‘her power’ into a core engine of rural vitalization through digital infrastructure, tech training, and policy innovation using over 30 languages and various AI technologies as part of its efforts to power international communications,” he noted.
“We look forward to sharing ways the dividends of technology can assist with the overcoming of gender barriers and help transform rural women from ‘subjects of development’ into ‘agents of development’ with all nations,” Gao added.
Ou Wanhai, deputy mayor of People’s Government of Fenghuang County, delivers a welcome speech during the Sci-Tech Empowering Rural Transformation: 2025 HER Power, HER Stories Dialogue opening ceremony.
“Fenghuang places great importance on advancing women’s development,” stated Ou Wanhai, deputy mayor of People’s Government of Fenghuang County, in his welcome speech. “As a county with a predominantly population of Miao ethnic group, we have supported rural women in achieving entrepreneurship and employment in key sectors such as agriculture and cultural tourism through policy support, capacity building,and guidance pertaining to industry development.This has led to the emergence of numerous women-led enterprises that reflect the unique characteristics of Miao culture. We see this dialogue as an opportunity to join hands with all of you here and contribute Fenghuang’s strength toward driving meaningful progress in gender equality and women’s development.”
IFAD China Country Programme Coordinator Sun Yinhong moderates the Sci-Tech Empowering Rural Transformation: 2025 HER Power, HER Stories Dialogue.
The main Sci-Tech Empowering Rural Transformation: 2025 HER Power, HER Stories Dialogue events will run through May 23. Following the opening ceremony on the morning of May 22, participants visited a site associated with the Digital Mulan Homestay Manager Digital Literacy Training Project, where they observed a session known as “A Day in the Life of a Homestay Manager and Basic Digital Literacy” and engaged in discussions with beneficiaries and key project leaders. Jointly launched by China’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism’s Department of Market Management, the Ant Foundation, and the CFRD, the Digital Mulan Homestay Manager Digital Literacy Training Project was created in order to provide vocational skill instruction and digital literacy training to rural women. As of the end of 2024, more than 6,600 women living in 16 of China’s provincial-level administrative areas have received guesthouse management training through the program, and many of them have gradually become industry experts.
On May 22, participants visit a site associated with the Digital Mulan Homestay Manager Digital Literacy Training Project, where they observe a session known as “A Day in the Life of a Homestay Manager and Basic Digital Literacy” and engage in discussions with beneficiaries and key project leaders.
Participants will also tour some of the locations involved with the IFAD Hunan Rural Revitalization Demonstration Project– a US$173 million initiative directly benefiting 328,000 people across 10 counties, 50% of whom are women, 30% of whom are youth, and 30% of whom are part of ethnic minority groups. The project is designed to promote inclusive rural development, climate-resilient infrastructure construction, the development of rural business service systems, and vocational training for people living in rural areas. IFAD has invested more than US$510 million in four projects in Hunan Province alone since 1999.
The event will also include two thematic panels – “Technological Progress as a New Opportunity for Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment (GEWE): Case Studies and Best Practices” and “From Practice to Policy: The Way Forward for GEWE of Rural Women.”