Closing event of the 10th BATURU Cultural Festival
On Friday 31 March 2023, Ambassador the European Union to China Jorge Toledo co-hosted the closing event of the 10th BATURU Cultural Festival with Ms Frida Zaric, Minister Counsellor of the Embassy of Sweden in China. In the presence of diplomats and members of the civil society, Ambassador Toledo reiterated EU’s wish to continue exchanging and cooperating with China on gender & women's rights.
Address by Ambassador Toledo at this event:
Dear Guests, Colleagues, Ladies and Gentlemen,
I’d like to welcome you to the closing ceremony of the 10th edition of the BATURU Cultural Festival, formerly known as The China Women's Film Festival. Over the years, this event has grown from a film festival into a much broader cultural event that also includes literature, comics, and advertisement. the 10th edition was opened on 25 November 2022, and has featured more than 20 different events and activities, including film screenings, online events, comic workshops and panel discussions.
Today we proudly host the end of this festival, marking also the end of Women’s History Month, which is celebrated in many countries across the world.
High Representative/Vice-President, Josep Borrell has said: “Ensuring the same rights to all, empowers our societies. It makes them richer and more secure. This is a fact that goes beyond principles or moral duties. The participation and leadership of women and girls is essential for democracy, justice, peace, security, prosperity and a greener planet.”
The EU promotes and defends the universality and indivisibility of all human rights, because every human being is entitled to the enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms. Women’s rights have been a fundamental topic for the EU since its beginning. The first treaty of the founding the European Economic Community, the precursor of the EU, in 1957, already included a provision of "equal salary for equal work."
While there has been some significant but uneven progress globally in advancing women's and girls' rights, no country in the world is yet on track to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls by 2030. Equality in wages and economic independence for women is still far from being achieved.
In China, although the percentage of women in the work force is higher than in many European countries, women continue to face problems such as low political participation, a growing income gap, discrimination in labour market and workplace, domestic violence and sexual harassment.
China’s government and civil society have recognised many of these issues and continue the effort to tackle them through various means, such as the implementation of relevant legislation and social activities. A lot of work still lies ahead of them.
A lot of work still ahead for all of us. Ensuring gender equality starts at home, and the European Union is aware that we ourselves have much more that needs to be done in order to ensure that women’s rights are fully respected in Europe. The European Union continually seeks for new and innovative solutions to these challenges, while standing by its values.
Gender featured as one of the main topics during the latest EU-China Human Rights Dialogue, held in Brussels this February. The Dialogue included a field visit to the “Care Centre after sexual violence” in Leuven, where victims of sexual assault can go 24/7 for medical care, psychological support, and forensic research. The EU is ready to continue the conversation, exchange, and cooperation with China bilaterally on this crucial topic.
Nevertheless, governmental efforts are not enough. We also need an independent, vigorous, and healthy civil society to lead the way towards a better protection and promotion of human rights. For this reason, we are particularly honoured to collaborate with Baturu, one of the main non-governmental actors in China working on the field of women’s rights. Cultural events, such as this Festival, are extremely important in order to promote our shared values and expand understanding for them in the society.
Art and culture are powerful tools to promote human rights. As former HRVP Frederica Mogherini said at the European Culture Forum in Milan in 2017, “culture and creativity are not only drivers of economic growth and job creation, but they can also contribute to greater tolerance, dialogue and mutual understanding between different people and cultures. Investing in culture is investing in our common future”.
I would like you to join me in applause to congratulate Baturu for its 10years of hard work in organising and expanding this festival. We are proud and honoured to support you, as we have done in the past and as will continue to do in the future.
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