Peng Liyuan Urges Global Push for Digital Education for Women

Peng Liyuan, wife of Chinese President Xi Jinping and UNESCO Special Envoy for the Advancement of Girls’ and Women’s Education, has urged the international community to strengthen digital and intelligent education for women. She emphasized the importance of ensuring women can access and benefit from digital technologies.

Peng delivered the remarks via video link at the 2026 UNESCO Prize for Girls’ and Women’s Education award ceremony, held in Paris on Friday local time.

She also observed that girls' and women's education is a Herculean task and appealed to the international community to collaborate in improving women's VET and create an elevator for them to climb up to a brilliant life.

Key Highlights:

• Peng Liyuan urges the international community to expand digital education for women
• China uses AI and global partnerships to promote gender equality in education
• The 2026 UNESCO Prize recognizes efforts to advance girls’ and women’s education

Peng congratulated the laureates of this year, who are from Morocco and Peru. Recognizing that education for girls and women remains one of the most important indicators of the development of human civilization, she said that in recent years, UNICEF and the international community have made concerted efforts to promote it in this noble endeavor, leading to positive progress.

Stressing that China has always set great store by girls' and women's education, Peng said China is committed to helping women in China to receive better education and live a life of purpose.

"At the same time, we are also actively and extensively carrying out practical cooperation with UNESCO and relevant parties, and have implemented a number of programs, benefiting women across the globe," Peng added.

She said that China's efforts over recent years in using AI to empower quality education have not only boosted gender equality in education and women's all-round development, but also provided useful experience for fellow Global South countries.

In advancing girls' and women's education, hope is sown, dreams are nurtured, and happiness will be reaped in abundance, she said.

"As the UNESCO Prize for Girls' and Women's Education enters a new decade, I stand ready to work with all of you to promote greater progress in girls' and women's education, and contribute to a brighter future in which more women can thrive and shine," Peng added.

Since China established the prize in cooperation with UNESCO in 2015, the award has continued to exert a positive impact and received extensive attention and high recognition from the international community.