Annual high-level panel discussion on human rights mainstreaming: Thirtieth anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action
24 February 2025
The Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action have long been heralded as a pivotal moment in the recognition of women’s rights. While feminists fought fearlessly for a declaration many also noted its shortcomings. Those concerns remain relevant today.
For instance, the BPfA neglects how race, class and gender co-constitute and shape people’s lives, experiences, and opportunities and does not adequately recognise the role of oppressive economic systems. It also lacks explicit recognition of the rights of sex workers and queer people, despite powerful interventions.
It is impossible to imagine BPFA and PoA without the work of civil society. Civil society provides credibility to processes by drawing attention to and addressing the gaps, challenges and weaknesses in states' implementation. And yet, activists must fight for space in decision-making processes that directly affect our lives. When budgets need trimming, processes are reviewed for efficiency, and geopolitical gridlocks need breaking - civil society is the first actor that is sacrificed. The systematic exclusion of civil society is not just political but also financial. Policy decisions, such as charging NGOs for online platforms for remote participation or interpretation booths during side events, and structural barriers, such as racist visa regimes, create deliberate obstacles. The result? Seats in these decision-making spaces are all too often empty – when they should be filled by those whose lives are most impacted by the decisions taken here. NGOs cannot be turned into customers or revenue streams! States must provide the mandate to make remote modalities of participation possible.
If the UN cannot guarantee the access and participation of activists from the majority world, then it must move these processes to places where real participation is possible, equitable, and just. A human rights-based system cannot function while excluding the very people it claims to represent.
Sexual Rights Initiative (SRI)
Association for Women’s Rights in Development (AWID)
the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF)
ILGA World
Women Deliver