With the 69th session of the Commission on the Status of Women fast approaching, the Baha’i International Community (BIC) released a statement exploring how women’s advancement contributes to creating peaceful societies. 

Titled “In full partnership: Women’s advancement as a prerequisite for peaceful societies,” the statement reflects on the significance of the 30th anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women and the adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action in 1995. The statement also warns that hard-won gains are tenuous without enduring transformation among individuals and across communities and societies. 

“The 12 critical areas of concern articulated in Beijing were an important evolution in gender equality,” said BIC Representative Liliane Nkunzimana, who helped develop the statement and will lead the BIC’s delegation to the Commission this year. “But many of these advances have been eroded by policy rollbacks and other forces, from the grassroots through to the international stage. This is a disturbing regression. And it should prompt us to identify more enduring approaches to transformation.”

Drawing on experiences of Baha’i communities worldwide, the statement also shows how commitment to gender equality contributes to the creation of communities with greater degrees of trust, collaboration, and peace. Such efforts demand universal participation, the statement says, as well as dedication to addressing long-standing beliefs and practices that perpetuate inequality. 

“Until transformation takes root within mindsets and finds expression in culture, the underlying causes of prejudice and discrimination, embedded in the systems and structures of societies, will remain unquestioned and will continue to perpetuate injustice,” the statement reads. Much of the BIC’s engagement at this year’s Commission will expand on these themes.

UN functional commissions provide an opportunity for Member States, UN agencies, and civil society organizations to take stock of progress made and lessons learned. This year thousands of delegates will take on the added task of contributing to a process of revitalizing the Commission, seeking thereby to make it more responsive to the needs of women worldwide.