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.

Marking the 25th anniversary of this historic conference, 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.

Special Exhibition: The Legacy of the Beijing Conference

The logos of the Georgetown University Library and the Institute for Women, Peace and Security are included for branding purposes

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, open between October 2021 and February 2022, includes original artifacts from the conference, including documents, promotional materials, T-shirts, biographies of influential attendees, video remarks, signed posters, and more.

Flagship Report: Accelerating Progress for Women and Girls

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 – reflecting on progress to date 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

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.

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5 Strategies to Advance Women's Rights

Attitude is Everything: Challenging Gender Stereotypes

Making The Law Work for Women

Nevertheless, She Persisted: Countering Backlash to Women’s Progress

Where are the Women: Advancing Women’s Leadership in Politics and Peacebuilding

Harnessing Technology to Advance Gender Equality

Watch the Event Series on YouTube

Gender Equality: The Unfinished Business

Finishing the unfinished business of the Beijing platform is an urgent strategic imperative that all world leaders, men and women alike, must embrace. Not with tired ideas and incremental steps, but with the boldness, passion, and resources needed to capitalize on the extraordinary events of this hour in ways that will transform our world for the better. Our time is now. We must meet this moment. – Hillary Rodham Clinton, Former United States Secretary of State

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.