If we look at the headlines or the latest horrifying YouTube clip, it may seem a bad time to celebrate equality for women. But alongside the stories of extraordinary atrocity and everyday violence lies another reality, one where more girls are in school and more are earning qualifications than ever before; where maternal mortality is at an all-time low; where more women are in leadership positions; and where women are increasingly standing up, speaking out and demanding action.
Twenty years ago this September, thousands of delegates left the historic Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing on a high. The overwhelming feeling was that women had won a great victory. We had indeed: 189 world leaders had committed their countries to an extraordinary Platform for Action, with ambitious but realistic promises in key areas and a road map for getting there.
If countries had lived up to all those promises, we would be seeing a lot more progress in equality today than the modest gains in some areas we are currently celebrating. We would be talking about equality for women across the board — and we might be talking about a saner, more evenly prosperous, more sustainably peaceful world.
About the author
Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcukaphumlambongcuka
Dr. Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka is the former U.N. under-secretary-general and executive director of UN Women. A global advocate for gender equality, she is also the founder of Umlambo Foundation and board chair of Women Deliver. Her leadership has mobilized $40 billion to advance the rights of girls and women worldwide.
