Horizons magazine is published by Presbyterian Women (PW) the national women’s organization of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).
Issue link: http://horizons.epubxp.com/i/521232
26 Beijing +20 Progress Toward Women's Equality and Empowerment BY MARY SUE BARNETT A s part of my work as director of the Women's Center at Louisville Presbyte- rian Theological Seminary, I had the dis- tinct privilege in March 2015 of attending the 59th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) with six seminary students. It was an extracurricular commitment for these stu- dents, but it was a commitment rooted in a theo- logical conviction they hold dear: women are created in the image of God and violence commit- ted against female humanity is an affront to God. Grounded in this belief, the seminary students opened themselves to the experience of connecting with women from all over the world. With their conviction, they converged on New York City with thousands of other women, all exercising their voices and committing to eliminate all forms of dis- crimination and violence against girls and women. This year's theme was Beijing+20—an exami- nation of the progress of women's empowerment 20 years after the Fourth World Conference on Women (1995) and the adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. The Beijing Platform drew from a 50-year history of examin- ing discrimination against women and committing to ways to end it. Today, the Beijing Platform is considered a key global policy document on gen- der equality. As we joined with advocates from around the world, we felt as if we were joining our foremothers in faith and advocacy. Commission on the Status of Women Two decades before Beijing (in 1946), the United Nations (UN) Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) established the Commission on the Women hold up signs during an International Women's Day rally in Lahore, Pakistan on March 8, 2015. Reuters/Mohsin Raza