New Beijing +25 paper reviews developments in training for gender equality

1 May 2020

25 years since the Beijing Conference, how far has training for gender equality come?

A new paper by the UN Women Training Centre, Training for Gender Equality: A Review for Beijing +25, explores how training for gender equality has evolved from the Beijing Platform for Action in 1995 to the present day. As we mark 25 years since Beijing, the paper aims to strengthen understandings of training as a strategy to achieve transformative change for gender equality.

Mapping out key developments, the paper reflects on what has worked well and what challenges remain. It identifies a decline in gender-transformative approaches to training since 2005, in favour of more transactional and instrumental approaches. In many cases, power relations are not explicitly tackled in training design, implementation and evaluation.

This needs to be addressed urgently so that we can reclaim the transformative potential of training to contribute to gender equality across all of the Beijing Platform for Action’s 12 critical areas of concern, and gender mainstreaming in general. The paper offers recommendations in line with the Secretary-General’s Report of the 25-year review – by thematic area and by cross-cutting priorities for action. Ultimately, it argues that training should be acknowledged as a key component of gender-transformative change.

The paper is based on an analysis of relevant documents, including regional reports and the Secretary-General’s review report of progress made in the past 25 years. It is aimed at gender trainers and specialists, but may also be useful for decision makers and development practitioners working on gender equality.

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UN Women Training Centre eLearning Campus

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New Beijing +25 paper reviews developments in training for gender equality