A lot has changed for women since 1947. A year where, for the first time, 15 government representatives convened, all of whom are women, to establish the Commission on the Status of Women, also known as the CSW. Barely two years have passed since the founding of the United Nations and everyone was still talking about the havoc caused by the WWII. A historical moment when the voices of women who fought the war and tended their families and communities, helped to prove how indispensable their participation is in the society. In this occasion, they made it clear how women will not take a step back; at least they’ll try to do so.
Creating this international organization, exclusively focused on promoting gender equality and women’s empowement, was the definite move towards the emancipation of women.
That first convention saw the constitution of earlier treaties on women’s rights, namely the 1953 Convention on the Political Rights of Women, or the Declaration on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, adopted in 1967. Both left an indelible mark up to the present day, a trail which infused change in the ’70s, tangible beyond hippie music festivals where citizens demanded the end of Vietnam war or free love, and inspiring everyone in its path.
Creating the CSW was the definite move towards the emancipation of women
Concurring with its 25th anniversary, the Commission declares 1975 as the International Women’s Year to call for attention about the need for equality between men and women, and acknowledge the latter’s contribution to peace and development. Because even though the CSW would gather UN entities, member States and civil society every year to discuss women’s issues, progress has been slow since 1947, and the gaps, wide.
The year 1975 signifies a tipping point: the First World Conference on Women was held, enabling the approval of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, years later, in 1995. This Declaration laid historical commitments with 17,000 participants, 30,000 activists and 189 government representatives. This, in turn, triggered an unprecedented political willingness that allowed women’s voices to be heard around the world.
These voices, which demanded to hasten the process of improving women’s and girls’ conditions globally, reached the UN General Assembly. And in 2010, it created the UN Women to address these challenges and provide technical and financial assistance to member States in this area.
Having set the bricks to pave the road, women pursued this path, carrying with them ambitious goals, which, with the passage of time and the strength of all the generations, is slowly being reached.
This historical route brings us to the present day, in the year 2018: with the recently-held 62nd CSW that tackled the challenges and opportunities of achieving gender equality and empowerment for rural women and girls. This priority of the United Nations is shared by the BBVA Microfinance Foundation, who provides financial services and trainings to vulnerable female entrepreneurs, thanks to the consultative status granted by the ECOSOC in 2016, acknowledging its contribution in the microfinance sector.
Women all over the world now look towards the future with a different kind of optimism while they firmly struggle for equality; because even though we have made progress since the early initiatives, more men and women expect that 2018 could also be another historical year in our quest to guarantee the rights of half of humankind.