13 March 2025

On the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the adoption of the Fourth World Conference on Women and its outcome, the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action

Mr. Chair,

Thirty years ago, the Fourth World Conference on Women was held in Beijing under the theme of “Action for Equality, Development and Peace.” This anniversary provides an opportunity to reflect on what has been achieved so far.

The equal dignity of every woman and man is based on her or his “very being, which prevails in and beyond every circumstance […]. This principle, which is fully recognizable even by reason alone, underlies the primacy of the human person and the protection of human rights.”[1]

However, equality requires not only the recognition of women’s dignity, but also conditions in which they can enjoy equal opportunities. In this regard, poverty eradication is key, especially because it affects women most: there can be neither development nor peace if the dignity of women is undermined by poverty.

Closely linked to poverty is education, which is “an essential tool for achieving the goals of equality, development and peace.”[2] It creates the conditions to build an “environment, in which women and men, girls and boys, are treated equally and encouraged to achieve their full potential, respecting their freedom of thought, conscience, religion and belief [… and it is] effective in the elimination of the causes of discrimination against women and inequalities between men and women.”[3]

The principle stated in the Beijing Platform for Action of “shared power and responsibility” between women and men will be implemented only by creating an educational environment, in which these conditions are met.

Mr. Chair,

Allow me to recall what was agreed thirty years ago: “women play a critical role in the family, the basic unity of society and, as such, should be strengthened.”[4]

Regrettably, the prevailing tendency over the last three decades has been to disregard the family and to consider motherhood as an obstacle to women’s lives. Women have not been provided with the support they need to balance family life and their responsibilities at work, ignoring the fact that both contribute to society. There has also been a failure to protect the most basic human right, the right to life. These problems can only be solved through both political action and a cultural shift regarding family and motherhood.

Mr. Chair,

Although progress has been made, much remains to be done. As stated by His Holiness Pope Francis, “if women could enjoy full equality of opportunity, they could contribute substantially to the necessary change towards a world of peace, inclusion, solidarity and integral sustainability.”[5]

Thank you.

[1] Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, Declaration “Dignitas Infinita” on Human Dignity, p. 1.

[2] Beijing Platform for Action, Chapter IV, p. 69.

[3] Ivi, p. 72.

[4] Beijing Platform for Action, Chapter II, p. 29.

[5] Pope Francis, Preface, More Women's Leadership for a Better World: Caring as the Engine for Our Common Home, ed. by Anna Maria Tarantola, Vita e Pensiero, 2022.