UNITED NATIONS (Sputnik) — UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon praised on Sunday China's President Xi Jinping for the support he provides to the UN Women agency.
Xi is hosting on Sunday a summit to mark the 20th anniversary of a landmark conference on women's rights in Beijing.
"I commend the leadership of President Xi Jinping, and I thank the Government of China and UN Women for organizing this event. Thank you, Mr. President, for your very generous support for UN Women," Ban said in a speech published on the UN's website.
The UN chief also called on the world leaders to push for gender equality by addressing structural barriers, such as unequal pay.
Ban stressed that the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which was adopted on Friday, was unlikely to be achieved without equal rights for women.
