Laureates from Pakistan and China celebrated at the award ceremony of the 2023 UNESCO Prize for Girls' and Women's Education

At the ceremony, co-chaired with Professor Peng Liyuan, the First Lady of the People’s Republic of China and UNESCO Special Envoy for the Advancement of Girls' and Women's Education, the Spring Bud project from China and Pakistan's Star School programme were both awarded US$ 50,000 each to help further their work in the area of girls' and women's education. 

Funded by the Government of the People's Republic of China, the annual Prize honours outstanding and innovative contributions made by individuals, institutions, and organizations to advance girls’ and women’s education. 

Globally, 122 million girls and 128 million boys are out of school and women still account for almost two-thirds of all adults unable to read.

Handing over the awards to the laureates at the ceremony, the Director-General Audrey Azoulay said: “UNESCO has made gender equality a global priority. Our UNESCO Prize is a unique source of inspiration. It offers innovative approaches and best practices to tackle the gender gap in and through education.” 

China’s Spring Bud Project has supported more than four million vulnerable girls since its creation in 1989, offering subsidies for schooling, promoting science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education and digital skills, and advancing health education.

The Pakistan Stars Schools programme helps hundreds of thousands of girls, especially refugees, to access education in difficult contexts, including after the devastating floods of 2022.

On receiving the award Executive Director of the Pakistan Stars Schools Programme, Fajer Pasha, said: “I want to express my sincere gratitude to UNESCO for this prestigious honour and for your unwavering commitment to this critical mission. 

“It is not just a matter of giving girls access to classrooms; it is about empowering them with knowledge, skills and opportunities that will shape their lives and transform communities. Education is the key that unlocks countless doors of opportunity. I accept this award on behalf of every woman and girl who has ever been denied the right to education. Together we can change the world, one educated girl at a time”. 

Fajer Pasha expressed her commitment to continue working towards a better future for girls' and women's education, words echoed by Zhang Yanhong speaking on behalf of the China Children and Teenagers' Fund's Spring Bud project. 

Receiving the award Zhang Yanhong said: 'It is gratifying to see that these girls are not only empowered through education and grow up to be outstanding talents in all walks of life, but also that they inherit and carry forward the Spring Bud Spirit of striving for self-improvement. They participate in the project in their own individual ways and give back to society’.

For the future, she spoke of strengthening international exchanges and cooperation.

“We will learn from our peers and work hand in hand with sisters from other countries so as to enable more girls to access more equitable, inclusive and quality education, and make achieving this goal an early harvest of the 2030 Agenda,” she said.  

The award ceremony was held in Diaoyutai State Guesthouse and attended by about 300 people, including representatives of UN agencies in Beijing, diplomatic envoys, teachers and students from Chinese and international schools and universities, and women’s organizations.

Read more

• Press release: Audrey Azoulay calls for greater global investment for girls’ and women’s education
• News: UNESCO Laureate Pakistan Alliance for Girls Education helps girls overcome challenges to go to school
• News: UNESCO Laureate China Children and Teenagers’ Fund helps disadvantaged girls thrive through education
• UNESCO Prize for Girls’ and Women’s Education
• UNESCO’s work on education and gender equality