Evaluation of the Beijing Platform for Action +20

Upon request by the Committee on Women's Rights and Gender Equality (FEMM) of the European Parliament, this study provides background information for the delegation of the FEMM Committee to the Commission on the Status of Women's 59th Session. The key priority theme for the Session will be the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, including current challenges that affect its implementation and the achievement of gender equality and the empowerment of women, 20 years after its adoption. Importantly, the session will address opportunities for achieving gender equality in the post-2015 development agenda. The study reveals that global progress on the implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action has been slow, uneven and limited. It concludes that adequate financing for gender equality, strong accountability mechanisms and a "gender data revolution", are essential to the achievement of gender equality and the empowerment of women after 2015.