On May 13, 2025, the Peking University Institute for Global Health and Development (abbreviated as “PKU GHD”) hosted a “Global Health High-Level Dialogue” at the Peking University Science and Technology Park. The themed was “Inequality in Access to Health Services: International Comparisons and Reflections.” Distinguished participants included Petra Follmar-Otto, Director for Gender Equality at the German Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth; Mareen Nadolny, Policy Director at the Ministry; Judith Rahner, Executive Director of the National Council of German Women’s Organizations, the largest advocacy organization for women’s rights in Germany; Maya Schwiegershausen, Counselor for Social and Labor Affairs at the German Embassy in China; Marie Strauss, Counselor for Political Affairs; and Pia Langenkaemper, an intern at the Embassy. Faculty and students from PKU GHD, Tsinghua University, and other institutions also took part in the event.

The dialogue was chaired by Dr. Bernhard Schwartländer, Distinguished Senior Research Professor at PKU GHD. In his welcome speech, Professor Liu Guoen, Dean of the Institute and Changjiang Scholar Distinguished Professor at Peking University’s National School of Development, also a member of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, introduced the Institute’s recent key initiatives. These include the “Real-World Data-Based Health Technology Assessment Cohort Study on Medical Robots” and an “Economics Experiment on Targeted Health Poverty Alleviation in Ethnic Minority Regions of Liangshan, Sichuan.” He emphasized that gender equality and health equity are core topics in global health research, and highlighted the complementarity of Chinese and German approaches in both policy and academic domains. He expressed hope that dialogues like this would facilitate mutual learning and knowledge exchange.

Dr. Petra Follmar-Otto delivered a keynote speech titled “Inequality in Access to Health Services from a Global Perspective.” She reflected on the profound influence of the 1995 Beijing Declaration adopted at the World Conference on Women, noting that women still face structural barriers in key areas such as reproductive health and economic participation. She shared Germany’s experiences in promoting gender equality, including comprehensive sex education, anti-discrimination legislation in the workplace, and cross-sectoral collaboration mechanisms to address gender-based violence. She emphasized: “Gender equality is not only a fundamental human right but also a driving force for sustainable economic development.”

Dr. Wu Ziting presented the project “An Economics Experiment on Targeted Health Poverty Alleviation: An Intervention Study in Liangshan, Sichuan,” conducted in the Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture. Through field research and community-based intervention trials, the team found that local women face severe gynecological health risks due to heavy physical labor, lack of health knowledge, and insufficient social support. The project team implemented pelvic health education and Kegel exercise training, demonstrating that health interventions could significantly enhance women’s labor productivity and household income. Dr. Wu noted that the study provides strong empirical evidence for the formulation of targeted public health and poverty alleviation policies.

Dr. Judith Rahner emphasized that civil society engagement is key to advancing gender equality policies. She highlighted the effective integration of legislation and social consensus in Germany through tripartite collaboration among government, academia, and NGOs. In the roundtable discussion, Chinese and German experts exchanged in-depth views on topics such as promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment, translating research into policy, and improving women’s health resource allocation in underdeveloped regions.

In the closing remarks, Professor Huang Cheng, Assistant Dean of PKU GHD, stated that the dialogue deepened mutual understanding between China and Germany in the field of gender and health, and served as a valuable platform for collaboration among policymakers, researchers, and civil society actors.