Peng Liyuan named Unesco ambassador for women's education
First lady awarded role to promote women's education while on French visit with President Xi Jinping, boosting her clout on world stage
Unesco named first lady Peng Liyuan as a special envoy to promote education for girls and women, as President Xi Jinping visited the organisation's Paris headquarters last night.
Xi, accompanied by Peng and a Chinese delegation, visited the organisation - of which China is a founding member in 1946 - on the last day of his three-day tour in France. It was the first visit by a Chinese president to the Unesco building.
"If all civilisations can uphold inclusiveness, the so-called 'clash of civilisations' will be out of the question, and the harmony of civilisations will become a reality," he said.
Peng joins five other Unesco envoys, including royals and academics, for issues ranging from water to literacy.
While the gap in access to education has been narrowing, a 2010 study by the All-China Women's Federation found that rural women attended school 2.2 years less than their urban peers, and that more girls (36.8 per cent) than boys (27.9 per cent) nationwide were forced by parents to cut their education short.
Peng, who is already a World Health Organisation ambassador focusing on tackling HIV/Aids and tuberculosis, visited a children's hospital in Paris on the second day of the tour, and presented toy pandas to tuberculosis patients.