2015 marks Beijing+20 and International Women's Day
Tue 03 Mar 2015
2015 marks the 20th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action signing at the Fourth World Conference on Women in September ...
2015 marks the 20th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action signing at the Fourth World Conference on Women in September 1995. The conference produced a landmark blueprint for advancing women's rights, including the identification of violence against women as one of 12 critical areas of concern. However 20 years on, the commitments made are only partially fulfilled.
The anniversary is being marked by a Beijing+20 campaign, which reignites the opportunity to rally people around issues of gender equality and women's empowerment. The 59th session of the Commission on the Status of Women, taking place in New York from 9 to 20 March 2015, will review the progress made in the implementation of the Beijing Declaration 20 years following its adoption. This includes current challenges affecting its implementation and the achievement of gender equality and the empowerment of women. The session will also identify opportunities for achieving gender equality and empowerment of women in the post-2015 development agenda. More than 1100 NGOs and 8,600 representatives are registered to participate, with 200 side events and 450 parallel events also to be held.
International Women's Day, marked on 8 March, echoes the Beijing+20 campaign theme Empowering Women - Empowering Humanity: Picture It! launched in May 2014. The theme "envisions a world where each woman and girl can exercise her choices, such as participating in politics, getting an education, having an income, and living in societies free from violence and discrimination." Follow the campaign on Twitter, Facebook, Flickr and YouTube.
International Women's Day events are planned across New Zealand including a Peace Walk by Wellington Women Walk for Peace, alongside White Ribbon and the United Nations Association of New Zealand, at the Newtown Festival. Visit the New Zealand UN Women website for more upcoming events.
Media
Stepping it up on the streets of New York City, UN Women, 08.03.2015
Minister to discuss women’s equality at UN, Beehive, 08.03.2015
International Women’s Day a time to celebrate, Beehive, 07.03.2015
Speech at International Women’s Day Breakfast, Beehive, 06.03.2015
Press conference: "Collective failure of leadership on progress for women", UN Women, 06.03.2015
It’s Time for Men to Step Up for Gender Equality, Scoop: UN Women, 06.03.2015
Head of UN Women: No country has reached gender equality, NZ Herald, 06.03.2015
Jane Fonda says male domination of world has been 'wounded', NZ Herald, 05.03.2015
UN Women and Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, Scoop: UN News, 04.03.2015
New Zealand celebrates International Women’s Day, Scoop: Daya Trust, 03.03.2015
Successful leader forges her own path, Scoop: The Daya Trust, 25.02.2015
Play Your Part in the Beijing +20 Campaign for IWD and All Year Long!, UN Women, 18.12.2015
Beijing+20: Review of progress underway, UN Women, 06.02.2015
Image: Pixabay