Topics for our times: from Cairo to Beijing-women's agenda for equality.

Abstract

The Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action represent the work of millions of women over the years and months preceding the 1995 Fourth World Conference on Women. The ambitious scope of the Platform can be exposed by highlighting several key areas. For example the concept of womens rights as human rights was advanced and the responsibility to protect human rights activists was recognized. The reproductive and sexual health needs of women and girls received special attention and gender inequalities were deemed responsible for health care inequalities. Compromise action on inheritance policies led to language that insured women and girls an equal right to inheritance and succession (but not necessarily the right to inherit the same amount as sons). The Platform for Action further delineated and denounced acts of violence against women and urged all governments to ratify the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Economic issues considered included the fact that women constitute over 70% of the worlds poor. Thus the Platform recognized the need to provide low-income countries with assistance with multilateral debt and to mitigate the effects of structural adjustment programs as well as to include assessments of womens unpaid work in statistical analyses. Environmental protection was called for and governments were urged to maintain a gender perspective in all environmental policies and programs. The pressure of the women in the nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) led to a concrete commitment of action on these issues by many countries. The NGOs are becoming the driving force for the implementation of UN activities and with their rapidly increasing numbers wield a greater impact than did old alignments. With thousands of women attending workshops on how to use the Internet to maintain contact an unstoppable and unprecedented international womens movement toward empowerment and equality is developing.