World Conference of the International Women’s Year (Mexico City 1975) and the United Nations Decade for Women (1976-1985)
Short Description
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.
Thematic Areas
Related Organizational Actors
Additional Type Commission on the Status of Women Intergovernmental Organization United Nations Development Fund for Women Intergovernmental Organization UN Division for the Advancement of Women Intergovernmental Organization International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women Intergovernmental Organization
Related People
Additional Type Margaret Gallagher ActivistConsultantResearcherAnne Walker ActivistAdvocate/Lobbyist
Related Policy Documents
Type Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) Treaty/Convention/Agreement Declaration and Plans of Actions of Mexico on the Equality of Women and their Contribution to Development and Peace Declaration/Plan of Action Report of the World Conference of the United Nations Decade for Women: Equality, Development and Peace (Copenhagen 1980) Report/position paper/brief Report of the World Conference to review and appraise the achievements of the United Nations Decade for Women: Equality, Development and Peace (Nairobi 1985) Report/position paper/brief Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women Treaty/Convention/Agreement
