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
May/June 2015 27 Status of Women. The Commission was charged with a significant task— p romoting women's rights and e nsuring women's equality around the world. This was at a time when only 25 of the original 51 UN mem- ber states gave women equal voting rights to men. 1 In addition to work- ing on international legislation that would guarantee women's voting rights, the Commission's early work included data collection. Using ques- tionnaires and surveys, the Commis- sion captured a picture of the challenges to women's equality around the world. Policy priorities and legislation to enact these policies emerged from this data. Over the next two decades, the Commission promoted equal rights, physical safety and access to education for women. With many newly independent countries becoming member states, the Commission highlighted women as agents and beneficiaries of change. In 1967, the UN General Assembly adopted the Commission's Declara- tion on the Elimination of Discrimi- nation Against Women. This document addressed that—while progress was being made—laws, traditions and cultural norms contin- ued to limit progress toward women's equality. World Conferences on Women To celebrate its 25th anniversary, the Commission requested of the UN that 1975 be named International Women's Year, and that a world conference on women be held. The UN agreed and the first World Con- ference on Women was held in Mex- ico City, bringing together 133 governments and more than 6,000 representatives of nongovernmental organizations. This first world conference on women produced the "World Plan of Action for the Implementation of the Objectives of the International Women's Year," which was a set of guidelines on how to promote women's equality over the next 10 years. The Plan of Action included writing a Convention on the Elimi- nation of All Forms of Discrimina- tion Against Women (CEDAW). These articles would make the goals and reporting procedures of the 1967 declaration legally binding. The UN General Assembly adopted CEDAW in 1979. Countries that ratify or CEDAW must put CEDAW's pro- visions in place and submit national reports that show how they are upholding the Convention. Over the next years, progress was made toward women's equality. Simultaneously, CEDAW focused on new or previously taboo-to-dis- cuss forms of violence against women, such as HIV/AIDS, female genital mutilation and sexual and domestic violence. Copenhagen hosted the Second World Confer- ence on Women in 1980, then Nairobi, the Third in 1985. Then, in 1995, the Fourth World Conference on Women was held in Beijing. It was monumental. Making a Difference At the time, the Fourth World Con- ference on Women was the largest international conference ever con- vened under the auspices of the UN. 2 More than 5,000 delegates from 189 UN member states attended, as did more than 5,000 representatives from 2,100 nongovernmental organi- zations and 5,000 media representa- tives. 3 The Non-Governmental Organization Forum—which was independent, parallel and held in conjunction with the official conference—attracted 30,000 women from around the world. Bella Abzug (a U.S. Representa- tive, lawyer and cofounder of the Women's Environment and Devel- opment Organization) said, "We came to Beijing in unprecedented numbers because we believe we do make a difference." 4 In preparation for the Fourth World Conference on Women, the Commission examined progress made in its 50-year history, evaluated the goals and outcomes of the three previous World Conferences on A Non-Governmental Organizations Forum meeting was held in Huairou, China, as part of the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women, in Beijing, China, September 1995. UN Photo/Milton Grant