From Beijing+30 to Today: Organizing for the Future of Feminist Movements

By Stuti Tripathi

Thirty years ago, over 30,000 women gathered in Beijing for a historic moment in feminist history. The Fourth World Conference on Women and its accompanying NGO Forum galvanized feminist movements, secured key policy commitments, and forged global solidarity. But as we mark Beijing+30, we must ask: what has endured, what has been lost, and what lessons can guide us in today’s escalating backlash against gender justice?

Lina Abou Habib, a feminist activist and researcher from Lebanon, puts it clearly: “Beijing was never just about policy. It was a radical act of feminist power; redefining what justice, human rights, and accountability should look like. We weren’t just lobbying governments; we were exposing the deep contradictions between their commitments and their actions. That fight continues, as States co-opt our language while erasing the radical demands behind it.”

The world today looks vastly different from 1995. The rise of far-right, anti-gender movements, shrinking civic space, and digital surveillance present new threats that feminists in Beijing could not have foreseen. Yet, the lessons of that moment remain urgent: strategic organizing, cross-movement solidarity, and long-term resilience are more necessary than ever.

Feminist Wins and Setbacks Since 1995 

The Beijing Platform for Action (BPfA) remains a landmark document, setting global benchmarks for gender equality and human rights. It provided feminists with a tool to hold governments accountable and spurred national and regional policy reforms. The conference also strengthened feminist networks across borders, many of which continue to shape global advocacy today.

Yet, the progress sparked by Beijing has been uneven. As Bisi Adeleye-Fayemi noted, “We made significant gains, but there’s still so much unfinished business.” Laws against gender-based violence, to protect reproductive rights and guarantee political representation have advanced in many places, but enforcement remains weak, and many hard-won rights are now under attack. Feminists today face restrictions on civic space, rising violence against women and LGBTQ+ communities, and the co-optation of feminist language by anti-rights movements. 

While States use the rhetoric of gender equality, they simultaneously roll back protections for women and LGBTQ+ communities. Beverley Ditsie noted, “We didn’t do well in filtering the message of Beijing to the general public. We left the storytelling to the patriarchs.” Today’s feminists must ensure that our narratives convey our deep commitment to transforming patriarchal societies and reach people in their daily lives.

Additionally, Beijing exposed critical tensions within feminist organizing that persist today. “There were power differentials at the table,” Gina Vargas reflected. “Beijing showed the power of diversity, but it also showed the challenges we have to really ensure that diversity brings us together.” The question of how to navigate ideological, racial, and geopolitical differences within feminism remains urgent.

From Beijing to Today: Organizing for Impact

Feminist movements today must reclaim the strategies that made Beijing a success. As Charlotte Bunch described, “What drew me to Beijing was the sense that all that we had been working for in the decade before, from Nairobi, was going to happen… We would never have had that explosion of possibility in Beijing without the organizing, which I date back to Mexico City. Beijing was the culmination of a decade of very intense organizing.”

Building Long-Term Infrastructure: Beijing was not spontaneous; it was the result of decades of organizing. Today’s movements must invest in sustainable structures rather than short-term mobilizations.

Using Inside-Outside Strategies: Feminists at Beijing influenced governments through direct advocacy and disruptive protest. That model remains crucial in countering anti-gender policies today.

Reclaiming Narrative Power: The right-wing backlash thrives on disinformation and fear-mongering. Feminists must counter these narratives by investing in storytelling, media strategies, and grassroots engagement.

Strengthening Cross-Movement Solidarity: In today’s interconnected struggle, building alliances beyond traditional feminist circles is essential. Working with pro-democracy, anti-racism, and economic justice movements can create a united front against common threats.

Navigating Today’s Backlash

Feminist movements are responding to these challenges with resilience and strategic adaptation. The current moment calls for a renewed commitment to these strategies:

Intersectional Organizing: The feminist movements leading today’s fights- whether for climate justice, labor rights, or racial equity- are deeply interconnected. “We cannot fight against the model of patriarchy alone. If we don’t come together, we won’t be able to progress,” Gina Vargas emphasized.

New Forms of Resistance: In Beijing, activists disrupted official proceedings to demand accountability. “We took over the escalators with banners until the police came in,” recalled Gina Vargas. Today, feminists are leveraging digital organizing, decentralized leadership models, and alternative governance spaces to push for change.

Intergenerational Knowledge Transfer: Many young activists today are unaware of Beijing’s significance. “I always make a fuss about Beijing, and a young colleague once asked me why it was a turning point,” Lina Abou Habib shared. Creating spaces for dialogue between generations can ensure that hard-won lessons are not lost.

What Insights from Beijing+30 Can Inform Future Strategies?

The recent dialogue organized by JASS and Gender at Work on Beijing+30 highlighted three key imperatives for feminist movements moving forward:

Reclaiming Political Space: While a new world conference may not be viable, feminists must create alternative arenas to build collective strategies and influence policy. “We need to keep creating spaces where feminists across different geographical and political lines can find common ground,” Charlotte Bunch emphasized.

Strengthening Narrative Power: Feminists must reclaim language from anti-rights forces and amplify voices that challenge dominant power structures. This means prioritizing storytelling, investing in feminist media, and countering disinformation campaigns that distort gender justice work.

Prioritizing Care and Sustainability: “We work and we work, and when we drop, we drop,” Beverley Ditsie warned. Activists emphasized the urgency of caring for each other—emotionally, physically, and politically—to sustain long-term resistance. “Young ones are burning out faster than we did. We need to ask how we are, and we need to take care of each other.”

The spirit of Beijing was never just about a conference—it was about a movement, a shared vision for justice, and the power of collective action. As Charlotte Bunch reflected, “Feminists didn’t go to Beijing to ask for a seat at the table—we went to insist that the world reorder its priorities. We fought to make sure human rights included women’s rights, and that our struggles could no longer be dismissed as ‘secondary’ to politics or the economy.”

Beijing+30 reminds us that feminist organizing is a continuous process. The fight is far from over, but if there is one lesson from Beijing, it is this: when feminists come together, change is inevitable.

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*This article was developed out of Beijing+30: Looking Back, Moving Forward—a global dialogue co-organized by JASS and Gender at Work in March 2025 as part of the 69th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW). The dialogue brought together feminist activists from around the world to reflect on the legacy of the 1995 Beijing Conference and the strategies needed to confront today’s rising anti-gender forces. Learn more about the speakers here.