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An unprecedented 17,000 participants and
30,000 activists streamed into
Two weeks of political debate followed,
heated at times, as representatives of 189 governments hammered out commitments
that were historic in scope. Thirty thousand non-governmental activists
attended a parallel Forum and kept the pressure on, networking, lobbying and
training a global media spotlight. By the time the conference closed, it had
produced the Beijing
Declaration and Platform for Action, the most progressive blueprint ever
for advancing women’s rights.
As a defining framework for change, the
Platform made comprehensive commitments under 12 critical areas of concern.
Even 20 years later, it remains a powerful source of guidance and inspiration.
·
Women
in power and decision-making
·
Education
and training of women
·
Institutional
mechanisms for the advancement of women
The Platform imagines a world where each
woman and girl can exercise her freedoms and choices, and realize all her
rights, such as to live free from violence, to go to school, to participate in
decisions and to earn equal pay for equal work.
The
Since then, governments, civil society and
the public have translated the Platform’s promises into concrete changes in
individual countries. These have ushered in enormous improvements in women’s
lives. More women and girls than at any previous point in time serve in
political offices, are protected by laws against gender-based violence, and
live under constitutions guaranteeing gender equality. Regular five-year
reviews of progress on fulfilling
Still, the Platform envisioned gender
equality in all dimensions of life—and no country has yet finished this agenda.
Women earn less than men and are more likely to work in poor-quality jobs. A
third suffer physical or sexual violence in their lifetime. Gaps in
reproductive rights and health care leave 800 women dying in childbirth each
day.
The 20th anniversary of
The Beijing Platform for Action, still forward-looking at 20, offers important focus in rallying people around gender equality and women’s empowerment. Its promises are necessarily ambitious. But over time, and with the accumulating energy of new generations, they are within reach.
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