ESCR Document Database
Fourth World Conference on Women: Beijing Declaration
Declaration1. We, the Governments participating in the Fourth WorldConference onWomen,
2. Gathered here in Beijing in September 1995, the year of thefiftiethanniversary of the founding of the United Nations,
3. Determined to advance the goals of equality, development andpeace forall women everywhere in the interest of all humanity,
4. Acknowledging the voices of all women everywhere and takingnote of thediversity of women and their roles and circumstances, honouringthe women whopaved the way and inspired by the hope present in the world'syouth,
5. Recognize that the status of women has advanced in someimportantrespects in the past decade but that progress has been uneven,inequalitiesbetween women and men have persisted and major obstacles remain,with seriousconsequences for the well-being of all people,
6. Also recognize that this situation is exacerbated by theincreasingpoverty that is affecting the lives of the majority of theworld's people, inparticular women and children, with origins in both the nationalandinternational domains,
7. Dedicate ourselves unreservedly to addressing theseconstraints andobstacles and thus enhancing further the advancement andempowerment of womenall over the world, and agree that this requires urgent action inthe spiritof determination, hope, cooperation and solidarity, now and tocarry usforward into the next century.
We reaffirm our commitment to:
8. The equal rights and inherent human dignity of women and menand otherpurposes and principles enshrined in the Charter of the UnitedNations, to theUniversal Declaration of Human Rights and other internationalhuman rightsinstruments, in particular the Convention on the Elimination ofAll Forms ofDiscrimination against Women and the Convention on the Rights ofthe Child, aswell as the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence againstWomen and theDeclaration on the Right to Development;
9. Ensure the full implementation of the human rights of womenand of thegirl child as an inalienable, integral and indivisible part ofall humanrights and fundamental freedoms;
10. Build on consensus and progress made at previous UnitedNationsconferences and summits - on women in Nairobi in 1985, onchildren in New Yorkin 1990, on environment and development in Rio de Janeiro in1992, on humanrights in Vienna in 1993, on population and development in Cairoin 1994 andon social development in Copenhagen in 1995 with the objective ofachievingequality, development and peace;
11. Achieve the full and effective implementation of the NairobiForward-looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women;
12. The empowerment and advancement of women, including the rightto freedomof thought, conscience, religion and belief, thus contributing tothe moral,ethical, spiritual and intellectual needs of women and men,individually or incommunity with others and thereby guaranteeing them thepossibility ofrealizing their full potential in society and shaping their livesinaccordance with their own aspirations. 13. Women's empowerment and their full participation on the basisof equalityin all spheres of society, including participation in thedecision-makingprocess and access to power, are fundamental for the achievementof equality,development and peace;
14. Women's rights are human rights;
15. Equal rights, opportunities and access to resources, equalsharing ofresponsibilities for the family by men and women, and aharmonious partnershipbetween them are critical to their well-being and that of theirfamilies aswell as to the consolidation of democracy;
16. Eradication of poverty based on sustained economic growth,socialdevelopment, environmental protection and social justice requirestheinvolvement of women in economic and social development, equalopportunitiesand the full and equal participation of women and men as agentsandbeneficiaries of people-centred sustainable development;
17. The explicit recognition and reaffirmation of the right ofall women tocontrol all aspects of their health, in particular their ownfertility, isbasic to their empowerment;
18. Local, national, regional and global peace is attainable andisinextricably linked with the advancement of women, who are afundamental forcefor leadership, conflict resolution and the promotion of lastingpeace at alllevels;
19. It is essential to design, implement and monitor, with thefullparticipation of women, effective, efficient and mutuallyreinforcinggender-sensitive policies and programmes, including developmentpolicies andprogrammes, at all levels that will foster the empowerment andadvancement ofwomen;
20. The participation and contribution of all actors of civilsociety,particularly women's groups and networks and othernon-governmentalorganizations and community-based organizations, with fullrespect for theirautonomy, in cooperation with Governments, are important to theeffectiveimplementation and follow-up of the Platform for Action;
21. The implementation of the Platform for Action requirescommitment fromGovernments and the international community. By making nationalandinternational commitments for action, including those made at theConference,Governments and the international community recognize the need totakepriority action for the empowerment and advancement of women. 22. Intensify efforts and actions to achieve the goals of theNairobiForward-looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women by theend of thiscentury;
23. Ensure the full enjoyment by women and the girl child of allhuman rightsand fundamental freedoms and take effective action againstviolations of theserights and freedoms;
24. Take all necessary measures to eliminate all forms ofdiscriminationagainst women and the girl child and remove all obstacles togender equalityand the advancement and empowerment of women;
25. Encourage men to participate fully in all actions towardsequality;
26. Promote women's economic independence, including employment,anderadicate the persistent and increasing burden of poverty onwomen byaddressing the structural causes of poverty through changes ineconomicstructures, ensuring equal access for all women, including thosein ruralareas, as vital development agents, to productive resources,opportunities andpublic services;
27. Promote people-centred sustainable development, includingsustainedeconomic growth, through the provision of basic education,life-longeducation, literacy and training, and primary health care forgirls and women;
28. Take positive steps to ensure peace for the advancement ofwomen and,recognizing the leading role that women have played in the peacemovement,work actively towards general and complete disarmament understrict andeffective international control, and support negotiations on theconclusion,without delay, of a universal and multilaterally and effectivelyverifiablecomprehensive nuclear-test-ban treaty which contributes tonuclear disarmamentand the prevention of the proliferation of nuclear weapons in allits aspects;
29. Prevent and eliminate all forms of violence against women andgirls;
30. Ensure equal access to and equal treatment of women and menin educationand health care and enhance women's sexual and reproductivehealth as well aseducation;
31. Promote and protect all human rights of women and girls;
32. Intensify efforts to ensure equal enjoyment of all humanrights andfundamental freedoms for all women and girls who face multiplebarriers totheir empowerment and advancement because of such factors astheir race, age,language, ethnicity, culture, religion, or disability, or becausethey areindigenous people;
33. Ensure respect for international law, including humanitarianlaw, inorder to protect women and girls in particular;
34. Develop the fullest potential of girls and women of all ages,ensuretheir full and equal participation in building a better world forall andenhance their role in the development process. 35. Ensure women's equal access to economic resources, includingland,credit, science and technology, vocational training, information,communication and markets, as a means to further the advancementandempowerment of women and girls, including through the enhancementof theircapacities to enjoy the benefits of equal access to theseresources, interalia, by means of international cooperation;
36. Ensure the success of the Platform for Action, which willrequire astrong commitment on the part of Governments, internationalorganizations andinstitutions at all levels. We are deeply convinced thateconomicdevelopment, social development and environmental protection areinterdependent and mutually reinforcing components of sustainabledevelopment,which is the framework for our efforts to achieve a higherquality of life forall people. Equitable social development that recognizesempowering the poor,particularly women living in poverty, to utilize environmentalresourcessustainably is a necessary foundation for sustainabledevelopment. We alsorecognize that broad-based and sustained economic growth in thecontext ofsustainable development is necessary to sustain socialdevelopment and socialjustice. The success of the Platform for Action will alsorequire adequatemobilization of resources at the national and internationallevels as well asnew and additional resources to the developing countries from allavailablefunding mechanisms, including multilateral, bilateral and privatesources forthe advancement of women; financial resources to strengthen thecapacity ofnational, subregional, regional and international institutions; acommitmentto equal rights, equal responsibilities and equalopportunities and to theequal participation of women and men in all national, regionalandinternational bodies and policy-making processes; and theestablishment orstrengthening of mechanisms at all levels for accountability tothe world'swomen;
37. Ensure also the success of the Platform for Action incountries witheconomies in transition, which will require continuedinternationalcooperation and assistance;
38. We hereby adopt and commit ourselves as Governments toimplement thefollowing Platform for Action, ensuring that a gender perspectiveis reflectedin all our policies and programmes. We urge the United Nationssystem,regional and international financial institutions, other relevantregional andinternational institutions and all women and men, as well asnon-governmentalorganizations, with full respect for their autonomy, and allsectors of civilsociety, in cooperation with Governments, to fully committhemselves andcontribute to the implementation of this Platform for Action.