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In 2025, the global community will mark the 30th anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women and the unanimous adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. In celebration of this milestone, the sixty-ninth session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW69), taking place at United Nations Headquarters in New York from 10-21 March, will bring together representatives of Member States, UN entities, ECOSOC-accredited non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and other stakeholders from all regions of the world to discuss the implementation of the Beijing Declaration of 1995.
Coinciding with International IDEA’s 30th anniversary and its year-long #DemocracyForAll digital advocacy campaign, this milestone reaffirms the commitments made in 1995 that women's equal participation in decision-making, alongside equal rights, opportunities, and access to resources, is essential for democracy, peace, and human rights, ensuring a just society that protects the interests of all.
At #CSW69, International IDEA will advocate—through statements, analysis, and events—for gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls as essential to vibrant and inclusive democracies.
ANALYSIS
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Beijing+30: Will it take another 30 years for gender equality? At the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, 189 countries adopted the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (BPfA), outlining 12 critical areas of concern for gender equality and women’s empowerment, including violence against women, armed conflicts, women's participation in decision-making, and the protection of their human rights. At that time, member states were convinced that the achievement of equality, development, and peace was connected to women’s empowerment and their full participation in society, including in political decision-making. Countries also believed that equal rights, opportunities, and access to power and resources for women were crucial to the consolidation of democracy more broadly. |
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Beijing+30: Taking Stock of Progress on Gender Equality Using the Global State of Democracy Indices The Beijing Declaration in 1995 recognized that gender equality is essential to democracy. Yet, 30 years after, progress remains uneven and at risk, with backlash against gender equality, and democratic values threatening hard-won gains. Drawing on International IDEA’s Global State of Democracy Indices, this article explores advances, setbacks, and gaps in women's political participation since 1995. As threats to gender equality and democracy grow, the CSW 2025 Political Declaration must reaffirm that women’s equal participation in decision-making is fundamental to democracy—and that both must be protected. |
EVENTS
Transforming social norms: Advancing women's leadership
10 March, 10.00 -11.15, ECOSOC Chamber, UNHQ
The in-person side event will bring WYDE Women’s Leadership partners as well as representatives from the EU together with members of Parliament, local governments, women’s movements, civil society organizations, experts and women leaders, including from youth groups with the objectives to engage in a dialogue on social norms impact on women’s political participation, and to share of good practices in identifying and addressing discriminatory social norms surrounding women’s political participation.
Informal SDG16+ Roundtable Dialogue at the 69th Commission on the Status of Women
12 March, 17.30-19.30, by invitation only
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This SDG16+ Informal Roundtable will facilitate an open dialogue among civil society, member states, UN staff, and other stakeholders to identify shared advocacy priorities and actionable strategies for advancing SDG16+ and SDG5 on gender equality. By leveraging the synergies between SDG16+ and SDG5, stakeholders can drive transformative change that addresses both the symptoms and root causes of global challenges — from violence and corruption to gender-based discrimination, inequalities and exclusion.
Beijing +30 and SDG 5 Targe5 5.5 @ 5years in International IDEA MS and Programme countries
13 March, 15.00-16.15, Conference Room 12, UNHQ
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In line with the main focus of the 2025 CSW session to review the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (BPA), International IDEA, in partnership with the Permanent Mission of Switzerland to the UN, will convene a side event on Beijing+30 and SDG 5 Target 5.5 @ 5years to 2030 in International IDEA Member States and Programme Countries. The side event will place emphasis on the BPA strategic objective on women in power and decision-making and SDG 5 Target 5.5 on women’s full and effective participation in political and public life.
18 March, 15.00-16.15pm, Conference Room 12, UNHQ
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The UN has identified Gender-based violence (GBV) against women as one of the most severe human rights violations across the world. Despite the scale and scope of GBV incidents, survivors who seek help through formal or informal justice sector channels, continue to navigate numerous challenges in doing so. International IDEA’s Rule of Law and Anti-corruption (RoLAC) Programme in Nigeria is recording progress and results in addressing these challenges. The purpose of the planned side-event is to share learning from key interventions which have delivered the strongest outcomes and which contribute to the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action.
19 March, 11.30-12.45, Conference Room 12, UNHQ
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Despite evidence that women’s presence and participation lead to better and longer-lasting outcomes for peace, they remain underrepresented in transitional governments and peacebuilding bodies. They are also underrepresented in constitutional reform processes that are often part of transitions as countries move from conflict and/or authoritarian rule to peace. Drawing on insights from the annual Women Constitution-Makers’ Dialogue, this event, co-sponsored by Canada, will offer a unique platform to bring together women to share their experiences and insights. Given the changing landscape of conflict in the last decade, it will also provide a forum for stakeholders to better understand and address new challenges in achieving gender equality in peacebuilding and constitution-making.
