7 November 2014: Participants from the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) region reviewed both achievements and challenges in implementing the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, at a high-level Regional Review meeting on Beijing+20. Recommendations focused on: promoting labor market policies and laws on gender equality; women’s equal representation in policy and decision-making; prevention and elimination of violence against women and girls; women’s and girl’s access to justice, including as a strategy to realize other rights; and implementation of all areas of the Beijing Declaration.

“It will take another 81 years to reach equality” by following the world’s current trajectory, warned UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka in opening remarks to the review meeting. She said that “even where we are doing our best, progress remains uneven, and discrimination against women continues in law and in practice in ECE countries.”

UNECE Executive Secretary Christian Friis Bach said the economic crisis has had a disproportionate impact on women and “hampered efforts to fight violence against women and reduce inequalities” in the region.

Princess Mary of Denmark urged governments to include a “robust” goal on gender equality in the post-2015 development agenda and to ratify the Istanbul Convention, which she described as a “milestone for ending violence against women.” Friis Bach also called for placing women’s rights at the center of sustainable development.

Participants discussed solutions and ideas for address outstanding gaps and disparities in gender equality and women’s empowerment, such as: gaps between legislation and implementation in the Beijing Declaration, insufficient gender disaggregation of data, low participation of women in the labor market, violence against women and limited funding for gender equality action plans and initiatives.

Participants recommended a stand-alone goal on gender equality in the post-2015 agenda and implementing the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), the Istanbul Convention and UN Security Council Resolution 1325 (on women, peace and security).

The Geneva NGO Forum took place before the high-level review and issued recommendations for its consideration.

UN Women and UNECE organized the High-level Review meeting, which convened from 6-7 November 2014, in Geneva, Switzerland. It was the first high-level Regional Review meeting globally.

UN Women is working with the UN Regional Commissions to organize reviews in each region. The resulting recommendations will contribute to the global review of the implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action at the 59th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW 59). [UNECE Press Release] [Meeting Website] [UN Women Executive Director Statement] [Beijing+20 Review Process]