US National Committee for UN Women Celebrates Fourth World Conference on Women
On Wednesday, Oct. 28, speakers and guests met at the DC headquarters of the US National Committee for UN Women (USNC) to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women. The September 1995 U.N. conference was the largest international gathering of women to take place in world history. Over the course of twelve days, the conference drew an unprecedented number of 17,000 representatives from 189 countries and territories. The diverse group of participants gathered together in Beijing, China with the hope of advancing women’s human rights and gender equality.
Two weeks of political debate and negotiations led to the Beijing Declaration and the Platform for Action, the most progressive agenda for women’s empowerment. The key global policy document on gender equality was adopted unanimously by the 189 countries in attendance. Even 20 years later, the platform continues to act as a “powerful source of guidance and inspiration.”
In remembrance of the historic conference, the USNC held discussions on varying topics of concern. Discussions points included implementation methodologies, policy and capacity-building, sustainable economy-building, and global health. The recent launching of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, which included gender equality, was another cause for discussion. Among the featured speakers at the event were Lalita Janke, President of the USNC; Gloria Blackwell, Vice President of AAUW’s Fellowships, Grants and Global Programs; and Dr. Ada Okika, Executive Director of the UNESCO Center for Global Education.
Jonathan Dromgoole (SFS ’16), founder and chairman of the United Nations Association of Georgetown, was also a speaker at the event. He took the opportunity to describe the steps Georgetown has been taking to advance gender equality through the HeForShe initiative, a solidarity movement for gender equality. Dromgoole also described how his organization, the United Nations Association of Georgetown, is currently working with administration to achieve the goals laid out in the campaign.
Regarding the USNC’s event, Dromgoole stated, “I do believe that the anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women should be celebrated, but we should not consider it the ‘end-all and be-all’ of progress for women. The conference itself illustrates the advancement that the global community has taken to elevate the role of women and girls in society.”
He added, “The fact that we are still having conferences illustrates that we are not moving fast enough towards gender equality. There really should be no reason for the global community to consider women and girls as second class citizens, given their tremendous importance to the global community.”
His statement raises a question that others have also raised: given current times, what is the true value—and implication—of conferences on gender equality? Though the past four World Conferences of Women are credited with strengthening women’s movement building, the growing call for a fifth global gathering of women is being questioned. Hesitancies arise due to the challenges that face the organization of a new conference, which range from inadequate resources to the possibility of backlash from anti-women’s right forces.
For Georgetown, obstacles for gender equality may persist, but growing awareness signals positive change. As President John J. DeGioia said, “Georgetown University is proud to stand with HeForShe and its work to empower women and girls worldwide. Many in our world community, and especially women, are faced with significant challenges to the basic right to social justice and to the conditions that allow for human flourishing. We share a responsibility—as members of a global family—to promote justice, equity, and dignity for women around the world.”