20 years ago, the fourth “World Conference on Women” met in Beijing from 4-15 September 1995. The conference launched a historical document to promote and protect women’s rights around the world: The Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action.
The declaration stated that all participating governments would work to advance the goals of equality, development and peace for women everywhere in the interest of all humanity. This reaffirmation of commitment was built on consensus and progress made at previous United Nations conferences and summits, such as “Women in Nairobi” in 1958 and “Human Rights in Vienna” in 1993.
In the recent Bejing+20 Regional Review Meeting held by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (ECE) on November 2014 in Geneva, the 56 participating countries of ECE renewed their commitment to the Beijing Declaration yet expressed concern of its slow progress. The review set a number of recommendations to accelerate the long-term goals of the Action Platform.
The United Kingdom, a participating country in the ECE Regional Review and my second home by shared memories, has made steady progress on the issue of women empowerment, recognizing their critical contribution to the economy, both in their role as workers and as primary carers. This progress has allowed for the birth of new women empowerment platforms, such as (and a favorite of mine) Women of The Future Program.
The program creates a space for high-achieving and high-potential UK businesswomen to come together and share experiences, build relationships and inspire each other for further progress. One of its initiatives, Women of The Future Summit 2014, was held for the third year in a row in London and I had the privilege to attend it by the kind invitation of the British Embassy in Dubai.
Though the network is designed to inspire Britain’s next generation of female leaders, the summit opens its doors to international delegations allowing women from different backgrounds and cultures to see and understand the similarities in the challenges they share.
There are many examples of UK and ECE progress in women’s rights, yet as an Arab and an active humanitarian in the Middle East, I am more curious about the Beijing20+ review in this part of the world, where violence against women has increased to alarming rates since the beginning of the Arab Spring. However, the Regional Review of Beijing+20 by the Economic and Social commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) , which took place on May 2014, has exposed the extreme differences between the participating countries on this issue.
Using the same methodology in reviewing the national progress of the Action Platform, the economic and political differences between ESCWA members, as well as the social and educational variations, encouraged the polarized outcome of this review. Moreover, the recent political movements in the region had jeopardized the progress previously made toward women’s rights and the implementation of the Beijing Declaration in some of these countries.
The deterioration of women rights is mostly obvious in conflict areas like Syria, Iraq, Palestine and Yemen – among others- as war and conflict zones are characterized by the difficulty in enforcing civil and criminal laws due to these locations’ chaotic nature. In these zones, the victimization of women has massively increased in its forms of oppression, violence, rape and torture. Also, the level of female education has decreased, prompting another problem in the form of child marriages, especially within the refugees community.
On the other side, the economic and political empowerment of women have witnessed a massive improvement in some ESCWA countries. For example, the United Arab Emirates has broadened women’s participation in the political process and increased their representation to 17.5% in the Federal National Council in 2011. Women also occupy 66% of posts in the government sector, 30% of which are in high-leadership positions related to decision-making. Today, in holding ministerial and diplomatic positions, women are witnessing the height of equality in the distribution of political decision-making in UAE.
But there is still a lot of work to be done. In its review, ESCWA states a number of priorities for the future include; the development of frameworks and corporate mandates, the increase of women participation in decision-making in less progressed countries, the creation of programs to facilitate the economic empowerment of women, the progress of girls’ education, and the protection of women against violence.
But why did I start this blog? This year marks the 105th anniversary of International Women’s Day (IWD), and since its birth in 1911, women’s demands for equality has not changed, yet it’s varied its tone and moved locations over the years. In my project, Breathing Numbers Humanitarian Act, I work with war victims and I see the extreme deterioration in women’s conditions due to the political violence they face back in their countries and the increased level of domestic violence within the refugees’ community because of the psychological issues left by war and torture.
For a true celebration of IWD, we need to recognize the progress, and its lack of, in achieving goals set by those demands, and to put more pressure on governments and the international community to take action and to raise their voices against all types of violations in women’s rights, especially violence.
For a better future for all women around the world,
Muna
References:
The Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, Beijing +20 Regional Review, Beijing+20 ECE Regional Review Meeting, Beijing+20 ESCWA Regional review
About the blogger:
Muna Harib is an Emirati and founder of Breathing Numbers, a humanitarian act which documents and supports the plight of hundreds of thousands of refugees trapped on the Jordanian border in the aftermath of the Syrian civil war.
https://instagram.com/munaharib/
