Chen Qing’s speech at the United Nations General Assembly

Because of her outstanding contribution in the field of children's charity, in May 2013, Chen Qing received an invitation letter personally signed by Mr. Vuk Jeremic, President of the United Nations General Assembly, inviting her to be a guest speaker. Participated in the United Nations theme meeting on "Social Inequality" on July 8 and delivered a speech titled "Reducing Inequality, Starting with Children."

"I am from Hong Kong, the mother of a two-year-old child, and the chairman of the UNICEF Hong Kong Committee. I believe that in the happy families of all my friends here - and even in countless families around the world, there is a Even a group of the next generation who are regarded as more important than their own lives and embody the good hope of the whole family - children, dear children, all the hard work that parents have done day and night in order to change their destiny and make it better. It’s all for the children, starting with the children. So today, let us talk about children in the name of parents all over the world.”

This is the first paragraph of Chen Qing’s speech at the United Nations General Assembly. The speech, full of affectionate words, detailed data and insightful insights, not only moved the ambassadors, diplomats and special guests of 195 countries present that day, but also spread to the world through various media. It is known as "the most important thing for children's rights and interests". A touching appeal.”

Chen Qing delivered a 10-minute speech at the meeting, explaining the phenomenon of global inequality and its causes based on the living conditions and problems of children around the world. She cited the Syrian war as an example and pointed out that many children were used as human shields. So far, more than 1,700 children under the age of 10 have lost their lives in the war. She also brought the urgent need to solve the problem of left-behind children in China to the United Nations. She said that it is estimated that there are nearly 100 million left-behind children in China. The parents of the children go to other provinces to work, leaving a large number of children in their original place of residence, leaving them without the education they deserve. Medical security and learning opportunities ultimately lead to a vicious cycle of continued poverty and lack of knowledge. To this end, UNICEF assists mainland partners in setting up child-friendly spaces to provide them with basic medical care, educational support, family education and other services.

"Every child is born equal. Gender, race, customs and health status, etc., should only be factors in children's different lives and cannot be used as excuses for children to have unequal childhoods." She said frankly: " If we turn a blind eye to the inequality and misfortune they face, we will only see thousands more children with only resentment and despair in their eyes.”

How can we let them down? In the above-mentioned areas, the inequality in Hong Kong is not serious, but Chen Qing bluntly said that children of new immigrants and ethnic minorities are also ignored in Hong Kong society and deserve everyone's attention. "Sometimes they are not given sufficient opportunities to develop their talents. Although Hong Kong is a relatively affluent area, the gap between rich and poor also limits many children's access to equal learning opportunities. UNICEF HK is committed to solving this problem."

At the meeting, Chen Qing introduced to various countries a series of measures initiated or participated by UNICEF HK to enhance the participation rights of children in Hong Kong and provide children and young people with the opportunity to express their demands to society and the government through different channels. , express opinions on social inequality issues. She said that since 2010, UNICEF HK has provided a platform for children and young people in Hong Kong to speak out through the production of the "Voices of Youth" radio program. It has also participated in the Children's Parliament led and funded by the government, allowing children's representatives to debate issues related to children. motion.

“I am a mother and I am also part of UNICEF. ‘Working together for children’ is our motto.” Ms. Chen Qing made a profound appeal to the leaders of various countries, "For our future, our children, reducing inequality should start with children."

This special meeting was personally chaired by Mr. Vuk Jeremic, President of the United Nations General Assembly. Mr. Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General of the United Nations, and Mr. Anthony Lake, Executive Director of UNICEF Headquarters, were also present.

After the speech, Chen Qing received a special reception from Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and had a private meeting with Mr. Vuk Jeremic, President of the United Nations General Assembly, specifically introducing the protection of the rights and interests of women and children in Hong Kong, Mainland China and the Asia-Pacific region. He expressed his concern for the "Hong Kong children" mentioned in the speech. "Parliament" and the approach of building a "child-friendly city", and expressed great appreciation for the approach of the Hong Kong SAR government; regarding the "problem of hundreds of millions of left-behind children and migrant children in mainland China" mentioned in the speech, we fully affirmed the mainland's role in this efforts and achievements, and expressed willingness to provide support.

Her advocacy for children’s rights at the United Nations General Assembly has won an unexpected response. Many American media, such as CNN and CNBC, have rushed to request interviews with Chen Qing. Hong Kong and mainland media have even reported vigorously. Phoenix TV , China News Service specially sent reporters to follow the entire interview, and Xinhua News Agency, the official website of the All-China Women's Federation, Sina, Sohu, Tencent, NetEase and other mainstream websites and nearly a hundred media also reprinted it.

“Some people regard the success of this United Nations speech as a display of China’s soft power. I am not worthy of this, so I politely declined interviews from several American media. I hope the media will pay more attention to children. Rights and interests, rather than focusing on myself." Chen Qing said that when doing charity, you must put yourself very low, be calm and focused, and then you can concentrate your energy and achieve real results.