The Way Forward: Accelerating Progress for Women & Girls

No country has achieved gender equality yet.

In 1995, tens of thousands of women from 189 countries converged in Beijing, China for the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women to insist that “women’s rights are human rights.” The resulting Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action paved the way for advances in education, health care, political representation, legal reform, and efforts to end violence against women.

The Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security invites you to reflect on the progress we’ve made toward gender equality since 1995 and look ahead to the challenges and opportunities of the coming decades.

Global Women Leaders Summit: An Urgent Call to Action 

The Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security and The Rockefeller Foundation host an annual Global Women Leaders Summit in Bellagio, Italy at the Rockefeller Foundation’s Bellagio Center to address the urgent need for action to advance gender equity.

Women political leaders, including current and former heads of state, participated in the inaugural Summit in 2022 and issued a joint statement and a set of recommendations that include supporting women’s leadership, inclusive climate action, and inclusive frameworks for gender equity. The 2022 Summit resulted in a new Climate Resilience Fund from The Rockefeller Foundation which is intended to increase capital flows into climate and resilience projects that improve the lives of the world’s most vulnerable people, as well as a Rapid Response Network, operated by GIWPS, which channels recommendations from women peacebuilders on the frontlines of crisis zones directly to policymakers.

The 2023 Global Women Leaders Summit included discussions on effective governance; the erosion of women’s political participation; and strategies to address climate action, economic issues, and online violence against women in politics. In the coming weeks, we will announce concrete actions resulting from the convening, from new climate actions to enhanced support mechanisms for women peacebuilders in conflict-affected states.

Flagship Report: Accelerating Progress for Women and Girls

Marking the 25th anniversary of the historic conference, The Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security and The Rockefeller Foundation, in collaboration with Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton, issued a report – Beijing+25: Accelerating Progress for Women and Girls – in 2020, reflecting on the progress made and offering a roadmap for the future. This research draws on the wisdom and experience of women from every sector, with the 1995 Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action at its center.

A Conversation with Hillary Rodham Clinton and Madeleine Albright

In 2020, The Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security hosted a special virtual commemoration of the 25th anniversary of the UN Fourth World Conference in Beijing. Watch a recording of Melanne Verveer’s discussion with Hillary Rodham Clinton and Madeleine Albright below.

Special Exhibition: The Legacy of the Beijing Conference

How did gender become a key pillar of US foreign policy? Relive the 1995 Beijing Conference through our dynamic historical exhibition at the Georgetown University Library’s Special Collections Gallery. The exhibition, was open between October 2021 and February 2022, and is now available online. It includes original artifacts from the conference, including documents, promotional materials, T-shirts, biographies of influential attendees, video remarks, signed posters, and more.

Our report on the way forward for gender equality, Beijing+25: Accelerating Progress for Women and Girls, is informed by interviews with two dozen global women leaders.