About Beijing +5
The UN Division for the Advancement of Women provides a regular update on preparations for Beijing +5
Beijing +5 will be a Special Session of the General Assembly entitled "Women: 2000: Gender Equality, Development and Peace for the Twenty-First Century." It will be held from 5-9 June 2000 at UN Headquarters in New York.
The Special Session will review and assess the progress achieved in the implementation of the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women, adopted in 1985, and the Beijing Platform for Action adopted at the 1995 Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing. It will also consider future actions and initiatives for the year 2000 and beyond.
In its resolutions 52/100
and 52/231 the General
Assembly decided to convene the Special Session and requested that UN Member States, the United
Nations system and NGOs provide information to assist in the review and
appraisal.
Who May Participate
Unlike the Fourth World Conference on Women, which was a global event attracting thousands of
participants to the host country, China, the Special Session of the General Assembly will be a
meeting held at UN Headquarters in New York.
For details on participation, see: NGO Participation.
Participants will include:
- UN Member States
- Associate members of regional economic commissions
- UN Specialized Agencies
- NGOs and IGOs in consultative status with the ECOSOC as well as NGOs that were accredited to the Fourth World Conference on Women
- Accreditation of NGOs that neither are in consultative status with the ECOSOC nor were accredited to the Fourth World Conference on Women
The Preparatory Process
The Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) is the Preparatory Committee (PrepCom) for the Special Session (see GA resolution 52/100).
For detailed information on the activities of the CSW as Preparatory Committee, see the update on preparations for Beijing +5 produced by the UN Division for the Advancemen of Women.
The PrepCom has met three times to prepare for the Special Session:
During the 44th session
of the CSW (28 February - 17 March 2000)
General Assembly resolution A/RES/54/142 recommends actions to be undertaken by Governments, UN Regional Commissions and the United Nations System in preparation for the Special Session.
Since 1995, the CSW has been reviewing each of the 12 critical areas of concern. In doing so, the
Commission has made recommendations
for each critical area on concrete measures to implement the strategic objectives in the Platform
for Action.
Background
The Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action was adopted at the Fourth World Conference on Women
(4-15 September 1995) by representatives from 189 countries. The Platform reflects a new
international commitment to the goals of equality, development and peace for all women everywhere.
It builds on commitments made during the United Nations Decade for Women, 1976-1985, including at
the Nairobi Conference, and on related commitments made in the cycle of United Nations global
conferences held in the 1990s.
The Platform identified the following 12 Critical Areas of Concern for women's advancement and empowerment:
- Poverty
- Education & Training
- Health
- Violence
- Armed Conflict
- Economy
- Decision Making
- Institutional Mechanisms
- Human Rights
- Media
- Environment
- The Girl-child
The Platform for Action defines strategic objectives and spells out actions to be taken by Governments, the international community, non-governmental organizations and the private sector.
Five years after Beijing, the Special Session in June 2000 provides an opportunity for all
concerned to share and compare experiences, to renew old commitments and make new ones and to
examine obstacles encountered as well as good practices in implementing the Platform for Action.
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