The 20th anniversary of the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing opened new opportunities to reconnect, regenerate commitment, charge up political will and mobilize the public. Twenty years later, the Beijing Platform for Action still offers important focus in rallying people around gender equality and women’s empowerment.
The Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action was a historic document signed by 189 governments that is still considered the most comprehensive document on women’s rights to date.
Prior to the 15th anniversary in 2010, Vital Voices, which traces its origins to the Beijing conference, prepared its own review of Beijing’s impact and distributed the attached review at several gatherings and classes.
Looking forward, UN Women will be celebrating International Women’s Day and Beijing+20 at the 59th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. Though it has been over two decades, the Platform for Action is still only partially fulfilled. Read more about the Platform’s plans for the future and new updates at UN Women: The Beijing Platform for Action Turns 20.
Download the 2009 report, BREAKTHROUGH: Overcoming the Obstacles to Equality, Development and Peace.
Watch First Lady Hilary Rodham Clinton’s Remarks to the Fourth Women’s Conference in Beijing.