Beijing Platform for Action +15 in Europe & CIS

Beijing at a Glance in Europe and CIS

Participants at the Non-Governmental Organizations Forum meeting held in Huairou, China, as part of the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women held in Beijing, China on 4-15 september 1995. UN Photo/Milton Grant

In March 2010, the Commission on the Status of Women undertakes the fifteen-year review of the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action adopted during United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women held in 1995 in Beijing. 

The Beijing Platform for Action identifies twelve critical areas of concern with respect to the advancement of women and the achievement of gender equality, aiming to remove the obstacles to women's active participation in all spheres of public and private life through a full and equal share in economic, social, cultural and political decision-making.

The e-brochure Beijing at a Glance in Europe and CIS is launched on the occasion of International Women’s Day 2010 dedicated to the topic of “equal rights, equal opportunities: progress for all.”  As a reference tool, it is intended for UNDP practitioners and external partners from the governmental and non-governmental sector who are seeking for information on the status of gender equality and women’s empowerment in the region.

The e-brochure Beijing at a Glance in Europe and CIS provides data for each of the twelve critical areas of concern identified in the Beijing Platform for Action. It does this by mapping available statistical data from the region alongside indicators identified for each area of concern and highlighting key findings of the Beijing +15 Regional Review Meeting on “New challenges and opportunities for gender equality in the ECE: key issues and policy challenges” (Geneva on 2-3 November 2009). This e-brochure aims to be a living tool and practitioners from the region are encouraged to share additional data and experiences.

The Beijing Declaration from 1995 reaffirmed the commitments of the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women which sets up an agenda for national action to end discrimination against women.

Gender equality and empowerment of women and girls is also increasingly recognized as essential for the achievement of all the Millennium Development Goals. The Millennium Development Goals  represent an opportunity for increasing the focus on national-level implementation of the BPfA, and – through the specific targets and indicators established – for measuring progress and outcomes.