World Conference of the International Women’s Year (Mexico City 1975) and the United Nations Decade for Women (1976-1985)

The United Nations Decade for Women (1976-1985) was proclaimed by the General Assembly five months after the first World Conference on the Status of Women, convened in Mexico City to coincide with the 1975 International Women's Year. The conference reminded the international community that discrimination against women continued to be a persistent problem worldwide, and the UN Decade launched a new era in global efforts to promote the advancement of women. A process was set in motion that would involve deliberation, negotiation, setting objectives, identifying obstacles and reviewing the progress made. The Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) has been responsible for organizing and following up the world conferences on women. The World Conference on Equality, Development and Peace was held in Copenhagen in July 1980, where three spheres of intervention were identified, in terms of access to education, employment opportunities and adequate health care services. In 1985, Nairobi hosted the World Conference to Review and Appraise the Achievements of the Decade: it was then recognized that gender equality was not an isolated issue, but encompassed all areas of human activity; and new ways of overcoming obstacles for achieving the objectives of the Decade were identified: constitutional and legal measures; equality in social participation; equality in political participation and decision-making.