This week, the United Nations General Assembly is remembering the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. Annalena Baerbock, President of the 80th Session of the UN General Assembly, said, ”Thirty years ago, the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action changed the world. But the work is far from done.”
World Conference on Women in Beijing 1995
My generation still remembers the excitement associated with the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing from September 4-15, 1995. At a time when women had to come together in person to get to know each other and their struggles, the 39.000 delegates to the conference heard about many problems for the first time. The official government delegates from 189 countries around the world worked hard to agree on a document that would give women a voice. The result was a compromise, but the conference finally adopted a blueprint of actions to build a gender-equal world, giving women a voice, known as the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. UN Women works within the framework of the UN Charter and this declaration.
The Chinese government had moved the parallel NGO Forum to Huairou, about 100 km outside of Beijing, where the NGOs presented their work and agendas. It was a celebration of diversity in dress, languages, and ethnicities, with women raising the consciousness of their common struggle for equality despite their differences. Many of the participating women were shaped for a lifetime by this conference. This was not the first World Conference on Women, but it was the first where women themselves were seated at the table.
Keynote Speech by the First Lady
One of the key speeches at the 1995 Beijing Conference was given by the First Lady of the USA, Hillary Rodham Clinton. We know that she equated women’s rights with human rights. But she also praised the conference as a celebration of the things that bind together women in every country as mothers, wives, sisters, daughters, learners, workers, citizens, and leaders. She pointed out issues that matter most in the lives of women and their families: access to education, health care, jobs, and credit, the chance to enjoy basic legal and human rights, and participate fully in the political life of their countries. She insisted that women would never gain full dignity until their human rights are respected and protected, and that families and societies are strengthened by empowering women to take greater control over their own destinies. Hillary Clinton closed her remarks with the words, “As long as discrimination and inequities remain so commonplace around the world -- as long as girls and women are valued less, fed less, fed last, overworked, underpaid, not schooled and subjected to violence in and out of their homes - the potential of the human family to create a peaceful, prosperous world will not be realized. Let this conference be our -- and the world's -- call to action. And let us heed the call so that we can create a world in which every woman is treated with respect and dignity, every boy and girl is loved and cared for equally, and every family has the hope of a strong and stable future.”
An Ongoing Issue
Many of the issues addressed 30 years ago in Beijing still exist in our world. Fighting for women’s rights is still an ongoing issue. The Beijing Platform for Action remains the single most important document in the global fight for women’s rights. But much work remains to be done. That is what UN Women are attempting to do by providing the agenda with a date by which it should be accomplished. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is a comprehensive plan to end injustice in all areas of our lives and transform the world, naming 17 sustainable development goals to transform our world.
When we look at our world today, we see forests burning, oceans being polluted, and the global climate warming to an alarming extent. Millions of people who are displaced due to conflicts and catastrophes are looking for a way to survive. The world’s women and girls are bearing the brunt of the worst impacts. 47 million women and girls are experiencing extreme poverty. The pandemic has caused an increase in domestic violence. Gender equality is still out of reach.
Women’s Rights are Human Rights even in the Church
Some people consider activism for women’s rights to be a worldly concept that we should abandon in our church. Women are being asked to stop advocating against discrimination in the church for the purposes of “unity”. The only way to achieve that is to start treating all justly. Should we not, as Adventists, agree with our Fundamental Belief No. 14 and practice it not in word only but also in action?
Unity in the Body of Christ:
“The church is one body with many members, called from every nation, kindred, tongue, and people. In Christ we are a new creation; distinctions of race, culture, learning, and nationality, and differences between high and low, rich and poor, male and female, must not be divisive among us. We are all equal in Christ, who by one Spirit has bonded us into one fellowship with Him and with one another; we are to serve and be served without partiality or reservation. Through the revelation of Jesus Christ in the Scriptures we share the same faith and hope, and reach out in one witness to all. This unity has its source in the oneness of the triune God, who has adopted us as His children.”
Education is the Solution
The Facebook site Women in Ministry @womeninministrysouthpacific posted the following concise plan of action on December 24, 2020:
EDUCATE: Make the case that women’s value and shared leadership is biblical and helps all people thrive.
ADVOCATE: Collaborate with individuals and organizations worldwide to cultivate women’s value and leadership.
LIBERATE: Combat abuse and domestic violence by demonstrating God values women.
30 Years of Women’s Ministries
This year, we also celebrate 30 years since the establishment of Adventist Women’s Ministries as a full department. The sustainable development goals of UN Women are reflected in the six challenge issues that the Women’s Ministries Department has identified as the focus of their ministry for women worldwide. The six challenge issues are:
Illiteracy
Poverty
Health Threats for Women
Woman's Workload
Abuse and domestic violence
Lack of Training, Mentoring, and Leadership Opportunities
Yes, we need to educate, advocate, and liberate. We need to unite in action to stop discrimination so that we can be united in Christ. Let us not be reduced to silence in our church for the sake of seeming unity and harmony. Women have spoken the language of silence far too long. The work is far from done.
By Hannele Ottschofski, adapted from the Chapter “Change the World” of her book Tired of Waiting