What is Beijing 30+ and why does it matter?

What is Beijing+30?

In 1995, the world came together in Beijing for the Fourth World Conference on Women, one of the most significant global gatherings ever held on gender equality. The result was the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, a landmark agreement signed by 189 countries, setting out a bold vision for the rights and empowerment of women and girls everywhere.  

Beijing+30 marks the 30th anniversary of that milestone. An official commemoration took place at United Nations Headquarters in New York in March 2025. Governments, advocates, and civil society will reflect on the progress that has been made since 1995, and where urgent action is still needed to achieve gender equality. 

Why was the Beijing Conference so significant?

The Beijing Conference was groundbreaking because it created a comprehensive blueprint for advancing women’s rights across the globe. It recognised that women’s empowerment is central to social, economic, and political progress. The resulting Platform for Action identifies 12 critical areas of concern including women’s health, education, participation in decision-making, violence against women, and the rights of the girl child.

 Civil society and women’s rights advocates played a key role in shaping those commitments, ensuring the voices of diverse women were at the table.  

How is progress monitored? 

The Commission on the Status of Women meets annually for governments and civil society to review progress of all countries against priority themes of Beijing. This year in March at United Nations Headquarters in New York, CSW brought together governments, advocates, and civil society organisations to celebrate progress over the past three decades and discuss action going forward. Around the world, feminist movements, NGOs, and individuals also marked the anniversary through public campaigns, advocacy initiatives, and conversations that kept gender equality on the agenda.

Why is Beijing+30 important today?

Thirty years later, the Platform for Action remains one of the most ambitious roadmaps for action towards gender equality. Yet progress has been uneven. Gains have been made in areas like girls’ education and women’s leadership, but challenges persist. Violence against women remains widespread, gender pay gaps endure, and many women continue to face barriers to health care, political representation, and economic opportunity. 

Beijing+30 offers the chance to: 

• Take stock of what has been achieved and where progress is lagging 

• Regenerate political will and commitments to gender equality 

• Mobilise younger generations and wider communities in support of women’s rights 

• Hold governments accountable to the promises they made in 1995 

Why does it matter now?

The anniversary comes at a time when the world is facing intersecting crises from climate change and conflict to economic inequality and public health challenges. Women and girls are disproportionately affected, yet they are also leading solutions in their communities. At the same time, there has been a growing pushback on women’s rights in many regions, threatening – and in some contexts even reversing – hard-won gains. 

Beijing+30 is not only about looking back at the commitments made three decades ago. It’s about recharging momentum, amplifying feminist voices, and pushing forward with the urgency needed to make gender equality a lived reality.