Gertrude Mongella, secretary-general of the Fourth World Conference on Women held in the Chinese capital Beijing in 1995, speaks during an interview with Xinhua in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, Sept. 29, 2025.(Xinhua/Emmanuel Herman)

DAR ES SALAAM, Oct. 9 (Xinhua) — In the 21st century, building a better life is impossible without the all-round progress of women’s causes, and it requires women to contribute more wisdom and strength, said Gertrude Mongella, secretary-general of the Fourth World Conference on Women held in the Chinese capital Beijing in 1995.

“What we are waiting for now is the further implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action adopted at that 1995 conference,” Mongella said in an interview with Xinhua.

As the world marks the 30th anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women, the Chinese capital is scheduled to host the Global Leaders’ Meeting on Women next Monday to Tuesday, in which Mongella is set to participate.

“I have always stressed that I brought the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action home. I hope to see more ‘Beijing Action’ take root in Tanzania,” Mongella said, noting that after the 1995 conference, she immediately brought the two essential documents back to Africa.

“After attending the Beijing conference, I returned to Tanzania and, at a women’s event, I handed over documents related to the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action to then-President Benjamin Mkapa. I believe that what women want is to see those ideas implemented,” said Mongella.

She recalled that during the Beijing conference, societies were beginning to encourage women to access computers and information technology, and that in Africa, women were often left behind because many lacked basic literacy and numeracy skills.

Literacy and basic education are the key links that unlock subsequent empowerment, she said.

“The Chinese women I know are hardworking and have long participated in industrial development. I often visited activities involving Chinese women in education and industry, especially in the textile sector. Notably, they are also involved in China’s ongoing advances in science and technology,” she said, adding that these observations strengthened her confidence in the power and creativity of Chinese women.

“Women’s development must keep pace with world development. The world is changing rapidly; technology is moving fast; information technologies are advancing. We have even entered the era of artificial intelligence. As the world steps into the new IT age, women must be part of it. If we are absent, we cannot cope. That is why I believe, when we return to Beijing again, we must examine these issues very seriously,” she said.

She urged greater efforts by governments and societies to implement the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and expressed hope that Chinese women and African women will work together to share information, knowledge, and technology, so that the world can progress together.

With the Juncao technology taught by Chinese experts, many Tanzanian women have gradually found a path out of poverty and toward prosperity, she noted. “By leveraging Juncao technology, Tanzanian women have discovered new hope and confidence in development and taken an important step toward self-reliance and empowerment.”

In 1995, Mongella served as secretary-general of the Fourth World Conference on Women, and continued to work within the UN system on women’s development after the conference. “In my life’s work advancing the cause of women, I have mainly done two things: bring women’s voices to bigger tables, and bring conference consensus back to communities,” she said.

“Now that we convene again, we must identify which indicators are moving forward and where there is backsliding; we must truly implement the spirit of the documents; and we must bring men and boys in as partners, rather than treating gender equality as a ‘solo performance’ by women,” she said.

“Put simply, Beijing gave us the blueprint; today’s summit is about updating the blueprint and supervising the worksite,” she added. ■