In 1995, one of the largest global conferences to promote women's rights was held in Beijing. There, 17,000 government delegates and 30,000 activists from around the world gathered. The agreements made then are discussed annually at the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) meeting in New York. Next year will mark the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration en het Beijing Platform for Action [PDF].
In 1995, one of the largest global conferences to promote women's rights was held in Beijing. There, 17,000 government delegates and 30,000 activists from around the world gathered. The agreements made then are discussed annually at the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) meeting in New York. Next year will mark the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration en het Beijing Platform for Action [PDF].
Based on the recommendations of Dutch civil society organisations for previous CSW meetings, a number of NGO reports and consultations with a diverse group of organisations and individuals, Atria has produced a document with recommendations for the Beijing+30/CSW69 meeting in 2025.
In it, Dutch civil society calls for ensuring that the political outcome document for Beijing+30/CSW69 takes steps forward. So that it not only looks at the agreements made 30 years ago. But that member states also look at how these can be further put into practice and at new themes and issues, such as the climate crisis, digitalisation and AI.
Progress
In recent years, progress has been made globally in several areas of gender equality. Such as in education and the proportion of women in politics. In the Netherlands, progress has been made in areas such as women's representation at the top of large companies, the abolition of the mandatory minimum consideration period for abortion and the National Action Programme on Tackling Sexually Transgressive Behaviour and Sexual Violence.
Gender gap
In many areas, however, progress is slow and uneven, stagnant or even backward. According to the latest Global Gender Gap Index (2024), no country has yet managed to close the gender gap. Since measurement began in 2006, gender equality has increased by only 0.1% globally. At the current rate, it will take another 134 years to close the global gender gap. Only 2% of the EU population lives in a country where the gender gap is more than 80% closed (Sweden). And in 43.8% of the 146 countries, the gender gap is actually increasing.
Challenges
The world faces significant challenges. We face multiple, mutually reinforcing crises, including a climate crisis and disasters, the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic and the risk of other global pandemics, armed conflicts and humanitarian crises. Such crises have an uneven impact on women and girls and exacerbate existing inequalities.
Digital developments and new technologies have a major impact on gender equality and the rights of women and girls. It provides opportunities, such as access to information, education and services. And opportunities to organise and speak out. At the same time, it also brings risks. For instance, algorithms and artificial intelligence (AI) and the spread of mis- and disinformation reinforce existing gender bias and create new (expressive) forms of discrimination, exclusion and gender-based violence.
Furthermore, liberal democracies and international cooperation and treaties worldwide are under pressure from the normalisation of conservative, far-right, nationalist and anti-gender movements that restrict the basic human rights and freedoms of women and girls. This is especially true for women and girls who are also excluded and disadvantaged on the basis of other characteristics, such as migrant women, black women, women with disabilities, lhbti+ women, etc. Also in the Netherlands. Accelerated implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action and subsequent agreed commitments is essential to prevent further deterioration.
"Only by doing things together will you get further."
Kick-off meeting CSW69
On 14 October 2024, Atria i.c.w. WO=MEN Dutch Gender Platform organised the annual kick-off meeting in preparation for the upcoming Women's Summit in New York. Here, Paula Thijs and Franca Hehenkamp, both researchers at Atria, presented the above recommendations.
A panel discussion also took place between four speakers who participated in the 1995 NGO Forum for Women in Huairou, some two hours' drive from the official conference in Beijing. Tonny Filedt Kok (Soroptimists) stressed that dialogue between generations is crucial: "Only by doing things together will you get further."
This was shared by Marjet Douze (then deputy director at the IAV (now Atria)), who underlined the importance of knowledge transfer and archiving for future generations. "A lot has been fought and a lot achieved," she said, hoping that younger generations can learn something from their lessons and take the fight forward again. Read more about the panel discussion in Sofia Gkaits' blog.
CSW69/ Beijing+30 NGO Briefing
On Monday 27 January 2025, the briefing of the Dutch NGOs to the Dutch government delegation took place. Here, the final recommendations of the NGOs were offered.
