UN Propelled Women’s Rights Worldwide, Report Shows

The United Nations Foundation today announced the launch of a groundbreaking project exploring the UN’s pivotal role in advancing the global women’s movement — and the historic gatherings that landed decisive victories for gender equality. Featuring a comprehensive research report, a multimedia website, and a flagship video narrated by UNDP Goodwill Ambassador Padma Lakshmi, the project also offers a roadmap for the next era of gender equality advocacy. It launches ahead of the UN’s High-level Meeting on the 30th anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women on September 22.

“When civil society, political will, and sustained investment converge, the UN can create transformative change for girls and women,” said Michelle Milford Morse, Vice President for Girls and Women Strategy at the UN Foundation. “But the history has been marked by both tensions and triumphs, reminding us that progress is fragile, and ongoing advocacy and political will are essential for a fairer, freer world for all.”

The project explores the four UN World Conferences on Women — Mexico City in 1975, Copenhagen in 1980, Nairobi in 1985, and Beijing in 1995 — and how they energized a global women’s movement to catalyze transformative progress within a single generation, and what has followed.

“Our history demonstrates that progress is possible. The women who first mobilized in Mexico City could not predict how their collective efforts would dramatically change the world by Beijing 20 years later,” said Stephanie Oula, Director for UN and Civil Society Engagement, Girls and Women Strategy at the UN Foundation and report co-author.

Over two decades, the movement galvanized the UN to embed gender equality into the global development agenda; recognize violence against women as a human rights violation; and elevate women’s leadership worldwide, ultimately making the UN more accessible, relevant, and accountable to the world it serves.

Reflecting on 50 years of the global women’s and feminist movement, the report offers actionable insights and reminders for leaders in the fight for gender equality today. The research demonstrates that the UN is crucial to advancing women’s rights and that civil society and feminist movements, particularly from the Global South, play a critical role in ensuring the UN is held accountable to “we the peoples.” It finds that backlash is a predictable response to progress, but that ultimately, transformative progress is possible in the most challenging of times.

The report outlines this progress in more detail. The United Nations and the Global Women’s Movement: Learning from the Past, Looking to the Future draws on significant primary and archival research, including original interviews with 20 global women’s and feminist movement leaders. Among them is Gertrude Mongella of Tanzania, Secretary-General of the 1995 Beijing Conference, which led to the landmark international agreement on women’s rights. In addition to capturing the stories, insights, and knowledge of movement leaders, it also incorporates key findings from existing scholarly research and archival documents.

The research also highlights how the perspectives and strategies of women from the Global South were instrumental in shaping advocacy and UN processes.

“Beginning in the 1970s, women from newly independent and non-aligned states attended the conferences. Coming out of liberation struggles, deeply embedded in nation building, they clearly saw how women’s issues could not be siloed,” said Sia Nowrojee, Associate Vice President for Girls and Women Strategy at the UN Foundation and report co-author. “They brought a broad development agenda to those spaces, laying the foundation for the comprehensive Sustainable Development Agenda that we have today.”

Mayra Buvinic, Senior Fellow at the UN Foundation and report co-author, also noted, “Many of the progressive ideas that formed the gender equality agenda in later decades were actually seeded in Mexico City in 1975, including by women from the Global South.”

The first-of-its-kind project features a multimedia website — which brings the story of the UN World Conferences on Women to life. Through original and archival videos, photos, and conference keepsakes, the site also showcases the stories of activists and leaders, and a resource center.

For more information, please download the report and watch the video.

About The UN Foundation
For over 25 years, the UN Foundation has built novel innovations and partnerships to support the United Nations and help solve global problems at scale. As an independent charitable organization, the Foundation was created to work closely with the United Nations to address humanity’s greatest challenges and drive global progress. Learn more at www.unfoundation.org