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Central African Feminist Forum on Beijing+30

The Central Africa Feminist Forum on Beijing+30 brings together activists and leaders from across the subregion to evaluate gender equality progress and strategize 30 years after the 1995 Beijing Declaration.

Day 1

Highlighted the necessity of knowledge sharing and resilience in grassroots advocacy. Analyzing the historical trajectory of African women's rights and assessed regional progress, noting that political instability and gender-based violence continue to threaten the gains made in gender equality across Central Africa. The sessions concluded with a focus on feminist movement building, urging participants to leverage research, foster cross-border collaborations, and amplify marginalized voices to drive actionable change.

Day 2

Focused on evaluating national progress and developing targeted strategies for the Beijing Platform for Action (BPfA), featuring delegates and country representatives from Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Chad, and Cameroon who shared their national achievements, such as increased political representation and educational access, alongside persistent challenges like gender-based violence, restrictive cultural norms, and the disproportionate impact of regional conflicts.

Day 3

Centered around the powerful theme of hope, culminating in the official adoption of "Our Declaration of Hope." The day’s proceedings featured a unique storytelling presentation centered on Esperanza, a young girl who overcame the denial of her education and basic rights to become a formidable political figure in her country. Through Esperanza's narrative, the forum creatively explored current challenges facing women and proposed actionable solutions.

FAQ

Beijing+30 commemorates the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. The year 2025 serves as a pivotal milestone to reaffirm global commitments to gender equality and accelerate action and investment for women and girls.

Adopted in 1995 by 189 countries at the Fourth UN World Conference on Women, the BPfA is a comprehensive global framework. It laid out transformative measures across 12 critical areas of concern to serve as a foundation for progress on gender equality and global development.

 UN Women was “born” out of the historic 1995 Beijing Conference, and it continues to play an active role in advancing the BPfA

GenEgaliteECCAS is a feminist movement established in 2020 that unites Women-Led Organizations (WLOs) across the ECCAS sub-region. It successfully connects 8 out of 11 Central African nations and has developed a six-thematic action plan to tackle critical issues like gender-based violence, economic justice, climate justice, and sexual and reproductive health rights.

The event featured a “Mamas & Daughters” session led by veterans of the original 1995 Beijing conference. Older feminists shared stories of historical advocacy and resilience from Cameroon and the Central African Republic to inspire younger advocates, emphasizing that vision and resilience are vital tools for co-creating a just society.

Participants concluded the forum by collectively developing “Our Declaration of Hope,” which they illustrated in a theatrical fashion. This declaration symbolizes the demands and aspirations of women and girls across Central Africa in the ongoing fight for gender equality.

The forum was convened in Yaoundé, Cameroon, to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the 1995 Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (BPfA). It served as an intergenerational platform to reflect on regional progress regarding the BPfA’s 12 critical areas, discuss emerging issues hindering gender equality, and strategize actionable solutions for women and girls in Central Africa

Regional progress has been described as average, unsteady, and unsustained. Based on the 2019 African Integration Index, the gender equality index for Central Africa stood at 53.4%, falling behind Southern Africa (61.6%) and East Africa (54.0%). Significant gender gaps remain in political participation, decision-making processes, and economic empowerment.

Progress is heavily restricted by deep-rooted traditions, cultural practices, religious beliefs, and financial challenges. Furthermore, decades of severe political instability and armed conflict have disproportionately harmed women, leading to increased sexual and gender-based violence, mass forced displacement, and an unequal burden of unpaid labor.

The forum used storytelling to present challenges and solutions. Centering the presentation around the story of Esperanza, a young girl who was deprived of her education and rights but eventually became a strong political figure in her country.

Climate change disproportionately affects women, especially since they are the primary agricultural providers in many households. For instance, climate change impacts 70% of Cameroon’s population and is linked to increased gender-based violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Despite bearing the brunt of these impacts, women remain largely excluded from climate-related political and decision-making spaces.

To improve health, recommendations included ratifying the Maputo Protocol, expanding universal health coverage, providing free emergency services, and improving accessibility to family planning. For economic empowerment, proposals highlighted expanding teleworking options for pregnant women, creating regional incubators to support self-employment, building mentorship networks, and focusing on digital literacy and cybersecurity.