Unifem

Beijing Platform for Action

The Fourth World Conference on Women was convened by the United Nations in 1995 in Beijing. The aim of the conference was to assess progress since the Nairobi World Conference on Women in 1985 and to adopt a platform for action, concentrating on key issues identified as obstacles to the advancement of women in the world.

The Conference focused on 12 areas of concern and adopted the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action in order to address these concerns.

In 2000 the Beijing+5 reviewed the progress of the 12 areas of concern and found that the goals had not been fully achieved and as a result further committed themselves to achieving the goals set out in 1995. Beijing+10 continued to review the status of the implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action.

From 1-12 March 2010, the Commission on the Status of Women undertook a fifteen-year review of the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and the outcomes of the twenty-third special session of the General Assembly.   During the session emphasis was placed on the sharing of experiences and good practices, with a view to overcoming remaining obstacles and new challenges, including those related to the Millennium Development Goals.  Member States, representatives of non-governmental organizations and of UN entities participated in the session while a series of parallel events provided additional opportunities for information exchange and networking. National and regional policy reviews are central to the review process at CSW.

The General Assembly marked the 15th anniversary of the adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action in a commemorative meeting during CSW.

For more information on the Beijing Platform for Action, please see the following links:
The text of the Beijing Platform for Action adopted in 1995
Beijing +15 Review Process at the Commission on the Status of Women