Women’s future seen at the Asia-Africa Women’s Conference
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- Writer 총관리자
- 보도일자 2012-01-04
The curtain fell on the successful 2011 Asia-Africa Women’s Conference, under the title Status, Education and Empowerment of Asian and African Women. High ranking officials from each country along with the up-and-coming generation of leaders promised ‘aid without borders’ to promote the status of women.
Conference VIPs invited from each country, reporters and others made for a full house at the opening ceremony held at the Samsung Convention Center in Centennial Hall, on Friday, October 7th. President Young-sil Han’s opening address included her wish that the conference would be forum for representatives and experts from both continents to share valuable experiences and wisdom.
The first lady, Mrs. Yoon-ok Kim was also in attendance at the opening ceremony, stating in her congratulatory address that “we should continue to give our attention and support to female education. Let’s cooperate and combine our strength and wisdom to improve the quality of life for women and humankind.” She further added, “We will intensify the network between Asia and Africa through continuous meetings,” and praised the conference “as a forum for discussion for the sake of women’s education and improvement of their status.”
The meeting preceding the opening ceremony was attended by Gum-rae Kim, the Minster of Gender Equality and Family, and Young-soon Kim, the female special assistant to the president, and others.
This conference was divided into three sections: Education of Female Elementary and Middle School students, Women’s Higher Education, and the Program for the Betterment of Women’s Status. The chairman of the National Assembly of Tanzania, Ann Semamba Makhinda, presented female education as a means of continuous development and decreasing poverty. Minara Shericulova, professor of the Department of Korean Studies at the Bishkek Humanities College in Kirghizstan, introduced the Program of Women’s Education in Central Asia.
One hundred exchange program students from Europe, Southeast Asia, and Africa, Sookmyung students included, attended the opening session held on Thursday, October 6th. The next generation leaders, visiting from 10 countries such as China, Vietnam, Kirghizstan, Senegal, and Nigeria, introduced their culture and the status of women’s rights in their country. The next day, they formed discussion teams with Sookmyung students and debated such topics as Research of Asian Women’s Status, and Women in the Setting of Culture, Law, Society, Family, and Education.
On the closing day, October 8th, high-ranking female officials and future generation leaders gathered together for a round table meeting, discussing how to build international and intergenerational partnership. The participants of the meeting carried on in-depth discussions on continuing cooperation and mutual development through the network built by this conference.
In line with the university’s ongoing support of women’s education in Asian and African countries through the Global Regional Talents Scholarship and other avenues, Sookmyung will put continued effort into endeavors for the empowerment of women’s education and status based on the contents discussed in this conference.