The 1995 Beijing Declaration and Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action - a Briefing for LibrariesPlatform for Action set out an ambitious UN agenda to advance women’s empowerment and gender equality. 2020 marks their 25th anniversary, and a large-scale review has been launched to assess the progress made towards implementing the Declaration and the Platform. This review process offers libraries an opportunity to reflect on how their work can help advance gender equality and take further action.

The Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action recognise the importance of access to knowledge, information and training in realising gender equality and advancement of women. By ensuring equal access to education and alleviating female illiteracy, protecting women’s health, encouraging women’s participation in the economy and political decision-making and more, access to information and training plays an important role in in several strategic objectives and key areas of concern highlighted in the Declaration and Platform.

Access to information and knowledge, literacy and lifelong learning are among the key aspects of libraries’ work. As such, they can contribute to the goals and activities the Platform sets out. The aim of this brief is to offer libraries an overview of:

  • the role that access to information, knowledge and lifelong learning play in the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action;
  • library activities and initiatives noted in national reports prepared as part of the Beijing+25 review.

Visit our publication page to read the briefing.