Towards Beijing+30

As mandated by ECOSOC Resolution E/RES/2022/5, the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) will lead the Asia-Pacific Regional Review of the 30th Anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action: Beijing+30 Review, in collaboration with the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific.

The regional review will culminate in the Asia-Pacific Ministerial Conference on the Beijing+30 Review, which will take place on 19-22 November 2024, United Nations Conference Centre, Bangkok.

With the convergence of the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (Beijing+30) and the 10-year milestone for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (2030 Agenda), the year 2025 marks a window of opportunity to take stock of progress made and actions required to address barriers to gender equality and implementing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.

The Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action of 1995  is the most visionary agenda for empowering women and girls everywhere. Developed at the Fourth World Conference on Women in 1995, the Beijing Platform for Action was adopted by 189 governments committed to taking strategic and bold action in 12 critical areas of concern: poverty, education and training, health, violence, armed conflict, economy, power and decision-making, institutional mechanisms, human rights, media, environment, and the girl child.

Thirty years after its adoption, more women are achieving better educational outcomes and political representation across Asia and the Pacific. However, progress has been slow and persisting patterns of inequality are stalling further progress on gender equality. Technological transformations and disruptions, demographic shifts, increasing migratory flows as well as natural disasters and climate change have profoundly impacted the development context for women, their risks and vulnerabilities as well as opportunities in the region.

The upcoming Beijing+30 Review will be the opportunity to appraise the progress made in implementing the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and strengthen gender-responsive action and implementation of the 2030 Agenda, which reaffirmed the achievement of gender equality and the empowerment of women as a standalone goal as well as a priority that cuts across all 17 Sustainable Development Goals, in Asia and the Pacific.

In 2020, ESCAP conducted the 25-year review of the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action in the Asia-Pacific region with the participation of governments and civil society organizations. This review process led to the adoption of the Asia-Pacific Declaration on Advancing Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment: Beijing+25 Review by Asia-Pacific member States to ensure women's economic, legal, and social protection and full integration into all spheres of life.

Photo credits: UN Women/Pathumporn Thongking