Alibaba chairman Jack Ma will grace the Global Women's Summit at the U.N. headquarters in New York on Sept. 27 as a co-chairperson, according to the event's organizers.
On the gathering of "women's empowerment and global business leaders," Ma is expected to deliver a speech and present a progress report on global women before the U.N. secretary-general.
For Ma, founder of the world's biggest e-commerce firm by business volume, his achievement can be attributed to women, citing their online shopping as a significant contribution to the firm's profits.
Before, Ma has also touted women as the "secret sauce" for Alibaba's success.
As a way of paying forward, Ma has been active in promoting women's development as well as female entrepreneurship. On May 20, he hosted the Global Conference on Women and Entrepreneurship, speaking before more than 800 female attendees across the country in Hangzhou.
"In the future, China's economy will be mainly driven by the service industry. Women, who by nature are more considerate than their male counterparts, will definitely play a larger part," Ma, who was the only male speaker during the conference, enthused.
On the upcoming U.N. Summit, Ma is regarded as one of the key individuals who will represent global women, voice out their insights and advance their growth.
Back in 1995, representatives and officials from 189 countries gathered at the 4th World Conference on Women in Beijing. From the event, the Beijing Declaration and the Beijing Platform for Action, ensuring the equality of rights among women, were formulated.
Twenty years after, China and the international organization U.N. Women will co-host the event in New York. The occasion eyes to encourage more commitments and funds that will help put forward gender equality.
Reports have surfaced that Chinese President Xi Jinping will also attend the event and deliver a speech. Heads of states and governments have also been reportedly invited.