In 1995, over 40,000 women from across the globe convened at the largest gathering of women ever held -- the United Nations' Fourth International Conference on Women in Beijing, China, and at the parallel Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO) Forum on Women in Huairou, China. Today's post explores what progress has been made on gender equality in the 25 years since.
Beyond Beijing (Trailer) - This 4-minute film offers a brief overview of the largest gathering of women in world history -- the Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO) Forum on Women in Huairou, China, in September 1995. More than 30,000 women attended, dwarfing the parallel inter-governmental meeting in Beijing, which had about 17,000 participants. The full-length, 1-hour film about the NGO Forum can be viewed here.
World Conference on Women, 1995 - Wikipedia overview of the conference.
The Importance of Women to Peace Processes - Empowering women empowers humanity! This compelling 3-minute video showcases the powerful role women play, and can play, in building and sustaining peace.
Five Big Wins Ushered in by the Landmark Beijing Platform for Action - Since 1995, the Beijing Platform for Action has served as a blueprint for advancing global gender equality. Here are five areas where it has stimulated tangible progress for women and girls everywhere.
Twenty-five Years Ago, They Were at the Fourth World Conference on Women - These nine women from across the globe attended the landmark women's conference in Beijing. They share brief reflections on what progress has been made since the conference and what's next in the work for gender equality.
Mercy's Blessing - This widely-acclaimed 30-minute film is inspired by true events. Through telling the story of a teenage boy and his sister in a rural village of Africa, the film powerfully explores the role of choice in advancing gender equality.
Glimpses into the Spirit of Gender Equality - This newly-released 42-minute film on gender equality was produced by the Bahá’í International Community to mark the 25th anniversary of the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women. It explores the experiences of individuals from diverse communities around the world, including Colombia, India, Malaysia, Zambia, and the USA, in applying the principle of gender equality in everyday life and society in general.
How Faith Matters: A Conversation Between Religions for Peace and Lopa Banerjee of United Nations Women - In this 28-minute video, Lopa Banerjee, an experienced human rights worker, explores why religious actors are critical to shaping resilient societies where women and girls are leaders, contribute to peace, live lives free from violence, have income security and economic autonomy, and participate and benefit equally in governance systems. Religions for Peace is the world's largest and most representative multi-faith coalition dedicated to advancing common action among the world religious communities for peace and related issues.