What we do
What we do
In 1995, 17,000 delegates and 30,000 activists from across the globe, streamed to Beijing to attend the fourth World Women’s Conference. This was one of the largest meetings to promote women’s rights ever held. Our first big project, as an organisation, was to organise a delegation of women to attend the civil society forum in Beijing ahead of the conference with the aim to bring in the intersectional dimension between gender and the environment. We organised events and demonstrations during the Huairou civil society forum with partners from, amongst others, Brazil, India, Kenya, Russia, Ukraine and Uzbekistan. The outcome, the Beijing Platform for Action, remains one of the strongest commitments to women’s human rights and a sustainable, just and peaceful world.
Resisting the roll-back
Now, more than 25 years later, we are appalled by a roll-back on women’s rights in many countries in the world, and attacks against women’s human rights and environmental defenders. In 2021, 26 years after the promise of Beijing, we will still not have achieved equality. Instead, inequalities are growing and the the COVID-19 pandemic has amplified this. Whilst in 2020 we achieved the 5-year mark of the Sustainable Development Goals and its goal 5 on achieving gender quality and the empowerment of all women and girls, we need to hold high the commitments of Beijing.
Generation Equality Forums
The Generation Equality Forums will be held in 2021. The Mexico Forum takes place from March 29 until March 31. At this first Forum, the Action Coalition leaders will finetune the draft blueprints for five years of transformative action to achieve gender equality . The Paris Forum, from June 30 until July 2, will be the official launch of the Action Coalitions. Governments, civil society and all other stakeholders will then present their commitments to take action. Our director, Sascha Gabizon, is part of the Civil Society Advisory Group to the forums.