1．尊敬的主席阁下，各位代表，女士们，先生们，

Respectable Madam Chairperson, Representatives of the Conference, Ladies and Gentlemen:

2．在这个美丽无比的金秋季节，我们在北京迎来了第四届世娥妇女大会的召开。这是一次世界历史上规模空前的妇女大会，也是世界历史上最重要的国际会议之一。

In this most beautiful autumn season, we welcome in Beijing the opening of the fourth World Conference on Women, the largest and one of the most important international meetings of its kind in world history.

3．联合国185个成员国的代表、联合国组织和个区域性国际组织的代表，以及2000多个非政府组织的代表再次聚会，她们将庄严宣誓，要迅速采取行动，消除歧视妇女的现象，使妇女能够尽快与男子一起创造和分享21世纪的和平与繁荣。

Representatives from 185 UN member states, from the United Nations and international organizations of various regions, as well as from over 2000 non-governmental groups, gather together to make a solemn promise that they will take rapidly action to eliminate discrimination against women, so that they can quickly join with men to create and share peace and prosperity of the 21th century.

4．男女平等实属天经地义。

Equality between men and women is fully justified.

5．早在人类社会的初期，妇女便与男子一期建设家园，分享野果和战利品，抚养后代。

Back in the early days of human history, women and men jointly built their homelands, shared wild fruits and trophies and brought up the younger generation.

6．然而，千百年来妇女被剥夺了与男子平等相待的基本权利，无尊严可言，失去了决定国家和家庭事务的权利。

However, for many centuries women were denied the basic right to equality with men, and deprived of their dignity and the decision-making power over affairs of the state and of the family.

7．多少年来，这个世界一直处于男性的统治之下。

The world has long been under control of men.

8．妇女不幸沦为二等公民，她们往往成了歧视、暴力和羞辱的对象。

Regarded unfortunately as second-class citizens, women are frequently subject to discrimination, violence and humiliation.

9．但是，事情总会恢复它的本来面目。

However, things will eventually return to their original nature.

10．今天，男女平等在国际社会中被普遍视为一种人权，并已写入联合国宪章。

Today, equality between men and women is generally recognized as a basic human right by the international community and has been written into the Charter of the United Nations.

11．在过去的半个世纪里，世界各地有良知的男子和有勇气的女性一起付出了巨大的努力，在很大程度上成功地使占人口半数的妇女重新获得了享有与男子同等的权利。

Over the past half century, intuitive men and courageous women across the world have made tremendous efforts and, to a large extent, successfully in enabling females, who make up half of humanity, to regain equal rights with men.

12．我们寄希望于本届世妇女会，这是因为它将来采取更为有效的步骤来加速提高世界各地妇女地位的进程，使全世界男男女女能作为平等的伙伴共同步入21世纪。

We place our hope on the current World Conference on Women because it will take more effective steps to speed up the process of enhancing the status of women worldwide, so that men and women across the world will enter the 21st century in equal partnership.

13．我们寄希望于本届妇女会，这是因为我们相信这次会议将促进各国之间，尤其是妇女姐妹之间的相互理解和友好交流，使世界各国也能以伙伴关系平等相待。

We place the hope on the current World Conference on Women because we are convinced this conference will promote mutual understanding and friendly exchanges between various nations, particularly between women, so that countries around world will also share the partnership.