The Beijing at 10 Review

49th session of the Commission for the Status of Women
28 February – 11 March, 2005 in New York

Women are at very heart of sustainable development and the fight against poverty.

This idea is central to the Cairo Consensus that guides UNFPA, the Beijing Platform of Action now under review, and the Millennium Development Goals, which grew out of Beijing, Cairo and other international conferences of the 1990s.

These three development platforms converge in their affirmation of women’s human rights and the recognition solving the world’s most pressing problems demands the full participation and empowerment of the world’s women. This point was reaffirmed by the a recent expert report from the Millennium Project.

There remains, however, a wide gap between principles and practices. Discrimination and violence against women remain pervasive, even though most countries now have policies in place to address these inequities.

UNFPA is committed to closing this gap. The Fund’s progress in implementing the Cairo Consensus also advances the Beijing Platform of Action and the Millennium Development Goals. In fact, these three development platforms strongly reinforce each other.

For instance, the strong emphasis that Beijing placed on women’s rights and empowerment is fundamental both to what UNFPA does and to how it does it. Moreover, the Fund is addressing each of the twelve critical areas of concern identified at Beijing.

UNFPA’s work very directly contributes to Millennium Development goals 3 (promoting gender equality and empowering women), 4 (reducing child mortality), 5 (improving maternal health), and 6 (combatting HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases). But UNFPA’s focus on reproductive health and population issues, and its emphasis on women and youth, is central toward the achievement of all of the MDGs.

In addition to its participation in many Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) activities and site events, UNFPA's inputs to the Beijing at 10 review include:

• contributions to a photo exhibition highlighting the UN’s work toward the advancement of women


• co-sponsorship of online discussions on women’s health


• advocacy materials outlining the linkages between Cairo and Beijing and arguing for greater investment in women as a means to sustainable development