World leaders and civil society representatives converged at the United Nations headquarters in New York this week to mark 30 years since the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action—hailed as the most ambitious global commitment to women's rights. They left with a clear message: the revolution remains unfinished, and action must accelerate.
Annalena Baerbock, president of the 80th session of the UN General Assembly, called the 1995 summit 'a watershed achievement advancing women's rights, resources, and representation. Yet 30 years later, the revolution remains unfinished.'
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the Beijing Declaration was 'the most ambitious global political commitment on women's rights ever achieved', boosting legal protections, political participation and education—but warned that progress has been slow and uneven.
UN Women Executive Director Sima Bahous pointed out real gains: the share of women in parliaments has nearly doubled since 1995, and around 100 discriminatory laws have been repealed in the last five years alone. 'Every step forward proves the same truth: gender equality works, but progress must speed up,' she said.
Despite these advances, officials flagged new and persistent obstacles. Conflict, poverty and climate shocks are eroding hard-won gains, while the tech revolution is unfolding in male-dominated corners that risk reinforcing biases.
'Artificial intelligence is reshaping our world,' Guterres warned. 'But this transformation is unfolding in an industry dominated by men, shaped by biased data, and driven by algorithms that frequently reinforce discrimination.'
A Swedish delegate voiced alarm at 'backsliding,' noting that women face growing barriers to health care and safety. A UN Women report this month found that none of the gender-equality Sustainable Development Goals are on track—and 676 million women and girls now live under the shadow of deadly conflict, the highest number since the 1990s.
Liechtenstein’s Deputy Prime Minister Sabine Monauni said the summit comes at 'a pivotal time for the empowerment of women and girls' amid a global backlash against gender equality.
Luxembourg’s Prime Minister Luc Frieden urged all member states to fully implement the Beijing+30 Action Agenda with well-resourced national plans tackling violence, economic empowerment, political participation, access to justice and discriminatory laws. He stressed that 'gender equality must be central in both domestic budgets and international aid' to bridge financing gaps in care, education, digital inclusion and health.
As the anniversary meeting closed, consensus emerged: the journey towards full gender equality is far from over. Now, leaders say, is the time to turn commitments into concrete, accelerated actions.
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World leaders call for accelerating commitments to women's rights
cgtn.com
