IGP’s Women’s Initiative Commemorates 30-Year Anniversary of the UN Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing

Thirty years after the landmark 1995 United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, the Institute of Global Politics (IGP) Women’s Initiative convened world leaders, longstanding advocates, and young activists at the forefront of the women’s movement to reflect on progress made on gender equality since Beijing and assess the 21st century challenges that remain for women’s full and equal participation in society. The March 12 convening was co-sponsored by the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security (GIWPS), GWL Voices, Vital Voices, and Wellesley College.

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The program began with a panel discussion featuring women who were at the Beijing Conference. Melanne Verveer, who helped plan the US delegation to Beijing as Secretary Clinton’s former chief of staff, became the first US Ambassador for Global Women’s Issues, and now directs GIWPS, recalled how the 1995 conference reshaped the world’s understanding of women’s rights, explaining the immediate impact of Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton’s unforgettable statement — “women’s rights are human rights, and human rights are women’s rights, once and for all.” “When she [Clinton] stood up in this cavernous hall, she spoke about domestic violence, human trafficking, killing girl babies, dowry burnings, honor killings. And after each one, she said, ‘This is a violation of human rights.’” At the time, issues such as domestic violence and human trafficking were not universally recognized as human rights violations; the Beijing Conference changed that narrative, bolstering a global platform for women's rights.

Ruchira Gupta, an Emmy Award-winning journalist and founder of the anti-sex-trafficking NGO Apne Aap, recounted how Beijing showed her the power of building international networks of solidarity, observing that “though the languages were different, we were all speaking the same language.” Mu Sochua, who later became Cambodia’s first female minister of women and veterans’ affairs, described how hearing Clinton’s speech changed her life, inspiring her to run for office. While onstage, Sochua unfurled a special reminder of the Beijing Conference: a flag that was part of a 1,000-meter cloth woven by Cambodian women and wrapped around part of the Great Wall of China in 1995 for Sochua’s "Women Weaving the World Together" project, which sought to make rural Asian Pacific women’s voices heard in Beijing.

María Fernanda Espinosa, executive director of GWL Voices and 73rd president of the United Nations General Assembly, asked the women who were present in Beijing to share a message about women they hope to see in the next thirty years. For Alyse Nelson, president and CEO of Vital Voices, who was still a college student when she made her own way to the Beijing Conference, the answer was: “The world recognizes that women lead differently. That difference is precisely what we need in our world today — leaders who spread hope, not fear.”

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In the following panel, a fireside chat titled “From 1995 to 2025: Reflecting on Progress and New Challenges,” Errin Haines, editor-at-large for The 19th, and Jennifer Klein, director of the IGP Women’s Initiative and professor of professional practice at SIPA, noted that while there has been progress – such as nearly closing the gender gap in primary education and halving maternal mortality rates – women still face significant barriers in economic and political participation, as well as threats to their safety and security. Klein referenced several recent examples of backlash against women’s rights, including Argentine President Javier Milei vowing to remove “femicide” from the country's penal code, Poland instituting a near total ban on abortion, and Turkish President Erdogan’s withdrawal of Turkey from the groundbreaking Istanbul Convention, which aims to end gender-based violence and domestic violence. “I think that we are seeing, sadly, a systematic attack on women’s rights and gender equity, right here in the United States and around the world, and that is integrally connected to democracy,” Klein said. “We’ve seen everything from relentless edicts by the Taliban in Afghanistan to the reversal of Roe v. Wade in the US, and at the heart of this backlash, both domestic and global, are really deeply embedded and harmful gender norms.”

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In a third panel, titled “Forging the Path: Young Leaders Advancing Gender Equality in the 21st Century,” and moderated by IGP Women’s Initiative director Rachel Vogelstein, a group of young women leaders from around the world spoke about their work and 21st century challenges to gender equality, including the backsliding of democracy and rise of autocracy, online harassment and abuse, and the threat of climate change. Aya Chebbi, the Tunisian founder of Nala Feminist Collective, emphasized the power of youth activism in Tunisia and across Africa and urged the audience, particularly young students, to get involved in political processes and run for office. Phumzile Van Damme, a former South African Parliament member, spoke about the importance of combating online harassment and creating digital spaces where women can participate safely and freely, calling for increased accountability from social media platforms and legislative action to protect women online. 

Renata Koch Alvarenga, founder and executive director of EmpoderaClima, discussed the critical role of women’s leadership in efforts to combat climate change in the Global South, noting that 80 percent of people displaced by climate change are women and children.

Slovenian activist Nika Kovac shared how her NGO led a grassroots movement that challenged an authoritarian leader, using a referendum to unite people. She emphasized the importance of bringing people together across political divides by focusing on shared concerns, and noted the power of intergenerational organizing to fight autocracy. 

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In the convening’s final discussion, introduced by Wellesley College Dr. President Paula Johnson, a distinguished group of world leaders sat down with Christiane Amanpour, CNN’s Chief International Correspondent and IGP Carnegie Distinguished Fellow. Hillary Rodham Clinton, Michelle Bachelet, former president of Chile and IGP Inaugural Carnegie Distinguished Fellow, Susana Malcorra, former foreign minister of Argentina, president and cofounder of GWL Voices and IGP Carnegie Distinguished Fellow, and Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, former president of Liberia (who joined virtually) articulated important connections between democratic erosion and the rollback of women’s rights in various countries, where leaders have weaponized anti-feminist rhetoric to consolidate power, targeting women's bodily autonomy, economic participation, and political representation. Secretary Clinton was direct. “We’re back in the fight, we have no choice,” she said, warning that political oppressors will “push back as far as they can and deprive women, minorities, and marginalized communities of every single right and pathway to power.”

Bachelet emphasized the importance of global solidarity and collective action, along with the need to coordinate efforts, develop new strategies, and secure more financial support. She also cautioned against the trend of far-right movements using anti-women's rights rhetoric to gain political power, particularly by targeting young men through social media platforms. Sirleaf, Africa's first elected woman head of state, rejected the World Economic Forum’s projection that achieving gender equity would take 130 years. To increase women’s leadership, Sirleaf advocated for investing in girls' education and women-led businesses along with popularizing policies and laws that have enabled women to achieve higher positions of leadership. 

Malcorra made the case for reimagining global leadership when Amanpour brought up the topic of the upcoming elections for UN Secretary General, a position which has never been held by a woman. Malcorra argued that it was time for the UN to have a “madam Secretary General,” asserting that it’s not just about representation, but about bringing a different leadership approach that focuses on listening, building bridges, and sustainable impact. Bachelet later chimed in that she might consider herself a candidate for the position, an idea which was met with loud applause from the audience.

“Any country that holds back women by norms, by law, by force, is just hurting itself,” Secretary Clinton said, summing up a key theme of the event. “It is preventing half of its population from being full and productive contributors to the economy and to social progress.”