Fourth World Conference on Women

Introduction:

It held during 4-15 September 1995 in Beijing, China. There were 17000 participants.

At this conference, governments from around the world agreed on a comprehensive plan to achieve global legal equality known as the Beijing Platform for Action (BPFA).

Mission statement of BPFA

1. The Platform for Action is an agenda for women's empowerment. It aims at accelerating the implementation of the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women and at removing all the obstacles to women's active participation in all spheres of public and private life through a full and equal share in economic, social, cultural and political decision-making. This means that the principle of shared power and responsibility should be established between women and men at home, in the workplace and in the wider national and international communities. Equality between women and men is a matter of human rights and a condition for social justice and is also a necessary and fundamental prerequisite for equality, development and peace. A transformed partnership based on equality between women and men is a condition for people-centred sustainable development. A sustained and long-term commitment is essential, so that women and men can work together for themselves, for their children and for society to meet the challenges of the twenty-first century.

2. The Platform for Action reaffirms the fundamental principle set forth in the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action, adopted by the World Conference on Human Rights, that the human rights of women and of the girl child are an inalienable, integral and indivisible part of universal human rights. As an agenda for action, the Platform seeks to promote and protect the full enjoyment of all human rights and the fundamental freedoms of all women throughout their life cycle.

3. The Platform for Action emphasizes that women share common concerns that can be addressed only by working together and in partnership with men towards the common goal of gender equality around the world. It respects and values the full diversity of women's situations and conditions and recognizes that some women face particular barriers to their empowerment.

4. The Platform for Action requires immediate and concerted action by all to create a peaceful, just and humane world based on human rights and fundamental freedoms, including the principle of equality for all people of all ages and from all walks of life, and to this end, recognizes that broad- based and sustained economic growth in the context of sustainable development is necessary to sustain social development and social justice.

5. The success of the Platform for Action will require a strong commitment on the part of Governments, international organizations and institutions at all levels. It will also require adequate mobilization of resources at the national and international levels as well as new and additional resources to the developing countries from all available funding mechanisms, including multilateral, bilateral and private sources for the advancement of women; financial resources to strengthen the capacity of national, subregional, regional and international institutions; a commitment to equal rights, equal responsibilities and equal opportunities and to the equal participation of women and men in all national, regional and international bodies and policy- making processes; and the establishment or strengthening of mechanisms at all levels for accountability to the world's women.

Twelve Critical Areas of Concern:

Women and poverty .

·         Strategic objective A.1. Review, adopt and maintain macroeconomic policies and development strategies that address the needs and efforts of women in poverty. ..

·         Strategic objective A.2. Revise laws and administrative practices to ensure women's equal rights and access to economic resources. ..

·         Strategic objective A.3. Provide women with access to savings and credit mechanisms and institutions. ..

·         Strategic objective A.4. Develop gender-based methodologies and conduct research to address the feminization of poverty. ..

Education and training of women .

·         Strategic objective B.1. Ensure equal access to education. ..

·         Strategic objective B.2. Eradicate illiteracy among women. ..

·         Strategic objective B.3. Improve women's access to vocational training, science and technology, and continuing education. ..

·         Strategic objective B.4. Develop non-discriminatory education and training. .

·         Strategic objective B.5. Allocate sufficient resources for and monitor the implementation of educational reforms. ..

·         Strategic objective B.6. Promote lifelong education and training for girls and women. ..

Women and health .

·         Strategic objective C.1. Increase women's access throughout the life cycle to appropriate, affordable and quality health care, information and related services. ..

·         Strategic objective C.2. Strengthen preventive programmes that promote women's health. ..

·         Strategic objective C.3. Undertake gender-sensitive initiatives that address sexually transmitted diseases, HIV/AIDS, and sexual and reproductive health issues. ..

·         Strategic objective C.4. Promote research and disseminate information on women's health. .

·         Strategic objective C.5. Increase resources and monitor follow-up for women's health. ..

Violence against women .

·         Strategic objective D.1. Take integrated measures to prevent and eliminate violence against women. ..

·         Strategic objective D.2. Study the causes and consequences of violence against women and the effectiveness of preventive measures. ..

·         Strategic objective D.3. Eliminate trafficking in women and assist victims of violence due to prostitution and trafficking. ..

Women and armed conflict .

·         Strategic objective E.1. Increase the participation of women in conflict resolution at decision-making levels and protect women living in situations of armed and other conflicts or under foreign occupation. ..

·         Strategic objective E.2. Reduce excessive military expenditures and control the availability of armaments. ..

·         Strategic objective E.3. Promote non-violent forms of conflict resolution and reduce the incidence of human rights abuse in conflict situations. ..

·         Strategic objective E.4. Promote women's contribution to fostering a culture of peace. ..

·         Strategic objective E.5. Provide protection, assistance and training to refugee women, other displaced women in need of international protection and internally displaced women. ..

·         Strategic objective E.6. Provide assistance to the women of the colonies and non-self-governing territories. ..

Women and the economy .

·         Strategic objective F.1. Promote women's economic rights and independence, including access to employment, appropriate working conditions and control over economic resources. ..

·         Strategic objective F.2. Facilitate women's equal access to resources, employment, markets and trade. ..

·         Strategic objective F.3. Provide business services, training and access to markets, information and technology, particularly to low-income women. ..

·         Strategic objective F.4. Strengthen women's economic capacity and commercial networks. ..

·         Strategic objective F.5. Eliminate occupational segregation and all forms of employment discrimination. ..

·         Strategic objective F.6. Promote harmonization of work and family responsibilities for women and men. ..

Women in power and decision-making .

·         Strategic objective G.1. Take measures to ensure women's equal access to and full participation in power structures and decision-making. ..

·         Strategic objective G.2. Increase women's capacity to participate in decision-making and leadership. ..

Institutional mechanism for the advancement of women .

·         Strategic objective H.1. Create or strengthen national machineries and other governmental bodies. ..

·         Strategic objective H.2. Integrate gender perspectives in legislation, public policies, programmes and projects. ..

·         Strategic objective H.3. Generate and disseminate gender-disaggregated data and information for planning and evaluation ..

Human rights of women .

·         Strategic objective I.1. Promote and protect the human rights of women, through the full implementation of all human rights instruments, especially the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. ..

·         Strategic objective I.2. Ensure equality and non-discrimination under the law and in practice. ..

·         Strategic objective I.3. Achieve legal literacy. ..

Women and the media .

·         Strategic objective J.1. Increase the participation and access of women to expression and decision-making in and through the media and new technologies of communication. ..

·         Strategic objective J.2. Promote a balanced and non-stereotyped portrayal of women in the media. ..

Women and the environment .

·         Strategic objective K.1. Involve women actively in environmental decision-making at all levels. ..

·         Strategic objective K.2. Integrate gender concerns and perspectives in policies and programmes for sustainable development. ..

·         Strategic objective K.3. Strengthen or establish mechanisms at the national, regional, and international levels to assess the impact of development and environmental policies on women. ..

The girl-child .

·         Strategic objective L.1. Eliminate all forms of discrimination against the girl-child. ..

·         Strategic objective L.2. Eliminate negative cultural attitudes and practices against girls. ..

·         Strategic objective L.3. Promote and protect the rights of the girl-child and increase awareness of her needs and potential. ..

·         Strategic objective L.4. Eliminate discrimination against girls in education, skills development and training. .

·         Strategic objective L.5. Eliminate discrimination against girls in health and nutrition. ..

·         Strategic objective L.6. Eliminate the economic exploitation of child labour and protect young girls at work. ..

·         Strategic objective L.7. Eradicate violence against the girl-child. ..

·         Strategic objective L.8. Promote the girl-child's awareness of and participation in social, economic and political life. ..

·         Strategic objective L.9. Strengthen the role of the family in improving the status of the girl-child. ..

Adopted from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Conference_on_Women,_1995