Statement from CEDPA President and CEO Yolonda Richardson on the 10th Anniversary of the Beijing Platform for Action

WASHINGTON, DC—CEDPA applauds the United States in their firm commitment to women’s health, education and equality around the world. As an international organization dedicated to improving the lives of women and girls, we are pleased to know that the U.S. government stands on the side of women.

This year marks the tenth anniversary of the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women, held in Beijing, China in 1995. At that conference, 189 countries, including the U.S., reached consensus on a Platform for Action to advance the status of women globally, with the support of nearly 2,500 nongovernmental organizations. Since that time, governments have begun implementing key reforms and changes to fulfill the commitments expressed in the Platform for Action.

From February 28 to March 11, governments and nongovernmental organizations will gather in New York to review progress on the Platform for Action at the UN Commission on the Status of Women. The review process is an opportunity not only to see how governments have kept their promises, it is also a time to bring attention to the new challenges that have emerged in the past ten years for women’s equality.

It is our hope that the U.S. delegation, along with the other government delegations, will unequivocally re-affirm the Platform, in recognition of how vital this agreement is to women around the globe. We know that a clear commitment to the Platform from all participating delegations will send a strong message to the world that we are united in our fight for gender equality.

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