On March 21, the 18th plenary session and closing ceremony of the 69th Session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW69) took place in New York. The conference reviewed and followed up on the outcomes of the 1995 Fourth World Conference on Women and the 2000 23rd Special Session of the General Assembly, adopted the CSW69 report, deliberated on the provisional agenda for CSW70, and elected the Chair of the 70th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. The event was attended by senior UN CSW officials, country representatives from 16 nations and regions, and key civil society leaders. Zhang Yinjun, Chairperson of the Beijing Changier Education Foundation, participated in the session.

CSW69 Chairperson Abdulaziz M. Alwasil (leftmost in the image) emphasized that now is the time to break through limitations and urged the world to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls. He stressed the crucial role of civil society in this process, recognizing that NGOs possess expertise, experience, and action-oriented approaches that can significantly contribute to global women's empowerment.

Following his remarks, newly elected CSW70 Chairperson, Maritza Chan Valverde, Permanent Representative of Costa Rica to the United Nations (leftmost in the image), delivered a speech, expressing gratitude to her predecessor and pledging to fulfill her new responsibilities with utmost dedication. She called for women’s participation in all major decision-making processes and committed to working with all stakeholders to build an equal society where every woman and girl can fully realize her potential.

In her closing statement, Sima Bahous, UN Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of UN Women (center in the image), highlighted that CSW69 welcomed over 13,000 participants, including representatives from 186 member states, one Vice President, three Deputy Prime Ministers, and 97 Ministers, as well as 5,845 civil society organizations and NGOs, marking a historic high. She urged stakeholders to translate the commitments made during the conference into real impact for women and girls worldwide, emphasizing the importance of finding consensus-driven solutions, even in challenging times.

During the closing session, Zhang Yinjun engaged in in-depth discussions with the aforementioned UN leaders, further strengthening international collaboration on women's empowerment.

A noteworthy moment in the session was the widespread concern expressed by multiple representatives regarding the role of maternal education and the status of mothers within families. Many lamented the lack of focus on this issue within the UN World Conferences on Women and the Beijing Platform for Action, raising alarms and calling for greater global attention. However, as early as ten years ago, the Beijing Changier Education Foundation had already pioneered the concept of Maternal Education, identifying it as the fundamental pillar of education, returning to its very roots. The foundation's vision has been to create a lifelong learning and empowerment platform for mothers, enabling them to grow and thrive. In 2016, Changier launched the "Mother’s Academy," focusing on maternal education, empowerment, and personal development. The initiative underscores the critical role of mothers in family care and child development. Through this platform, Changier seeks to alleviate maternal anxiety in parenting, family education, and marital relationships, laying a solid foundation for harmonious communities and happy families. Reflecting on the past decade, Changier has established 216 Mother’s Academies across China, proving that long-term, structured maternal education can offer valuable insights for global gender equality discussions. The initiative provides a comprehensive and practical reference for enhancing UN Women’s policy frameworks and action plans. Changier remains committed to collaborating with global leaders to further explore and implement this innovative maternal education model worldwide.

Moving forward, the Beijing Changier Education Foundation will continue its dedication to maternal education and adolescent well-being, actively responding to international calls for recognizing the critical role of mothers in families and education. By doing so, it will contribute China’s wisdom and solutions to the global efforts for gender equality and women’s empowerment.