In March 2025, a Pacific delegation of government, civil society women’s movements join regional partners and the global community for the 30th anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women and adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (1995), termed BPA+30 or Beijing+30 in 2025. The 30th anniversary takes place at the sixty-ninth session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW69) at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, from 10 to 21 March 2025.
Celebrating 30 years in 2024, was the Pacific Platform for Action on Gender Equality and Women’s Human Rights, released in 1994. That was 30 years ago for the Pacific Platform for Action (PPA), and a year prior to the 1995 Beijing Platform for Action (BPA), establishing the Pacific as a global leader ahead of other regions in terms of its leaders’ commitment to gender equality.
For some Pacific delegates, the CSW69 will be a double-anniversary; 30 years for the Pacific’s PPA and the world’s BPA.
More importantly, it’s time to critically review Beijing+30 at a global level, following the preliminary national and regional reviews such as the Asia-Pacific Ministerial Conference on the Beijing+30 Review, while taking the opportunity to strengthen gender-responsive action and implementation of global commitments, such as the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW, 1979).
Pacific island countries and territories have intensely reviewed their progress towards gender equality commitments, with government and non-government partners working. This work has been supported by multiple partners, including SPC through the 2024 Triennial Conference of Pacific Women, using the Pacific Platform for Action to assist track progress and plan actions to achieve leader’s commitments in the Pacific Leaders Gender Equality Declaration (PLGED) revitalised in 2024. SPC is custodian of the Triennial Conference and also the Pacific Platform for Action, working with the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (PIFS) supporting Pacific leaders and their PLGED plus the Pacific Islands Forum Women Leaders meeting (PIFWLM) connecting with the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting (PIFLM).
The United Nations also play a key role, especially the UN Women Fiji Multi-Country Office (#UNWomenPacific) that supports Pacific government and civil society delegations to prepare and attend CSW annually. In 2024, UN Women technically and financially supported Pacific countries to complete their Beijing+30 national level reviews and surveys and supported Pacific government and civil society to prepare for and attend the Asia-Pacific Ministerial Conference on the Beijing+30 Review through a preparatory meeting for National Gender Machineries and a preparatory meeting for Pacific civil society.
This year also marks the final five years of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including SDG 5 for gender equality.
