The UN Resident Coordinator in China Nicholas Rosellini gives a speech. Photo: Yin Yeping/GT

The event themed "Think Equal, Build Smart, Innovative for Change" took place at the Dutch Embassy in Beijing on March 11. To mark the 2019 International Woman's Day, women from varied cultural and social backgrounds shared their stories and discussed with the audience how gender-responsive innovations can produce transformative gains in society. This event is part of the UN Women's advocacy of gender equality particularly in the areas of social protection systems, access to public services and sustainable infrastructure. The secretary general of the Foreign Ministry of the Netherlands Joke Brandt was also invited to the event and delivered her remarks in which she shared her thoughts on gender equality. The UN Resident Coordinator in China Nicholas Rosellini also attended the event. "We have to recognize barriers and discrimination that exist today, but we also have to look forward," Rosellini said. "We are living at a time when science, technology and innovation over the next generation will totally change the way work forces are structured and this will have an enormous impact on gender and diversity. I think as we look to the future and as we think of the impact of innovation on society, we need to put gender into that discussion and analysis."