On October 13, the 2023 Policy Dialogue on Women in Science was held on the backdrop of the World Women Scientists Conference in Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province.

The event was jointly organized by the United Nations Development Programme Office in China and the China Women’s Association of Science and Technology.

Hong WANG, Dean of the Graduate School and Chair Professor at the Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech), was invited to the event and delivered a keynote speech.

She spoke at the themed “Pathway towards Breaking Barriers in STEM” event, which was one of the 2023 World Women Scientists Conference series of activities.

The conference invited more than 600 distinguished female scientists from all over the world, including Nobel Prize-level scientists, and recipients of the L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science International Award and the Chinese Young Women in Science Award.

The event was held in-person and live-streamed online on various social media platforms and received over 150,000 views.

In her speech, Hong WANG used data such as the proportion of women in high-level positions in education and science and technology and the number of Nobel prize-winning female scientists to point out that the growth and progress of female scientific and technological talents requires the whole of society to make joint efforts to create a better environment for the development of female scientific and technological talents.

She used her own experience as a professor and carrying out scientific research to talk about understanding how to improve women’s self-esteem and self-reliance.

She added that the World Women Scientists Conference can be used as a platform and opportunity to unite female scientists and give a voice to women, so that more talented female scientists can have a better environment and grow in science, technology, industry, and education.

The 2023 World Women Scientists Conference centered around the topic of “Women’s Wisdom and Global Development”, focusing on cutting-edge sciences such as life and health, digital economy, and artificial intelligence, held academic forums, surveys, and other activities, and explored new methods and paths for female scientists to serve society.