Beyond Beijing: The Handbook
Perfect bound, 136 pages, illustrated with photographs. Free with video or $15 each
Edited by Cheryl Miller and Salome Chasnoff

The United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women took place in Beijing in 1995, along with the parallel Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO) Forum in Huairou.

Beyond Beijing: The Handbook anthologizes speeches and articles by women from widely diverse cultures and countries. More than 100 photographs enhance the power of their voices. In addition, background information, teachers' guidelines, an extensive resource list, and an overview of UN history on women's issues are incorporated. (See Table of Contents below).

The book and video are designed to work together for maximum effect, but are not dependent on each other.

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Table of Contents

United Nations World Conferences and the Global Women's Movement

• Introduction
• What are Non-Governmental Organizations?
• International Women's Year
• First World Conference on Women
  • The Tribune
  • Conference Documents
  • CEDAW
  • Other Outcomes
• Second World Conference on Women
• Third World Conference on Women
  • Factors Contributing to Women's Oppression
  • Forward Looking Strategies
• Earth Summit
• World Conference on Human Rights
• Population Conference Social Summit
• Conclusion

Chronology of United Nations World Conferences

Convening a World Conference

• The Process
  • UN General Assembly Approves Holding a Conference
  • The Responsibilities of the Conference Secretariat
  • Creating Final Conference Documents
• The Role of NGOs during the Preparatory Process
• The Functions of the Conference Secretariat
• Bracketed Language
• The Use of Consensus
• Final Conference Documents
• The Preparatory Process of FWCW
• NGO Participation in Regional Meetings
• Regional Plans of Action
• The PrepCom Process for FWCW
• The March 1995 PrepCom

  NGO Forum on Women Beijing '95

• Introduction
• Some Perspectives on the Huairou Site
• "Keep on Movin Forward"
• The Program of Plenaries
  • Opening Remarks: Khunying Supatra Masdit
  • Keynote Address: Daw Aung San Suu Kyi
  • Keynote Address: Winona LaDuke
  • Regional Response: Gita Sen
  • Obstacles to Peace and Human Security: Kaudjhis Offoumou
  • Rise of Conservatism in its Various Forms - Strategies: Riffat Hassan, Frances Kissling, Rebecca Sevilla
  • Media, Culture and Communication, Challenges and Opportunities
    • Strategies: Magela Sigilitto, Laura Flanders
  • Strategies for the Future: Hillary Rodham Clinton
  • Intergenerational Dialogue: Misha Schubert
• Around the Forum
  • Youth Tent
  • Cultural Performances
  • Politics of Space
  • Protests and Statements
  • Workshops
    • Working Together in a Situation of Inequality - Palestinian and Israeli Women: Tamar Grozansky and Lila Shahid
  • Forum '95
    • "No Happy Hookers or Sinners," by Sara Ann Friedman
    • "Women Who Use Other Women," by Linda Prout
  • Thoughts on the Forum - Before and After
    • "An Eco-Feminist Reports on Beijing '95: A Pale Green," by Cathleen McGuire
    • "The Impact of Structural Adjustment on Community Life: Undoing Development," from Laura Renshaw
    • Additional Perspectives on the Global Economy: Vivienne Wee, Lesli O'Dowd
    • Some Personal Reflections on the Forum: Zully Alvarado, Josina Morita
    • "Village Women From India Go To Forum," by Neena Bhandari
• Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO) Declaration

Fourth World Conference on Women

• Introduction
• Country Participation
• Critical Areas of Concern
• The Conference
• Plenary Statements of Delegates: Maryam Rajavi, Jenny Shipley, Ruth Cardoso, Leticia Ramos-Shahani, Christina Alonzo Alberti, Door Boyd de Perez Balladares, Wangari Maathai
• The Main Committee
• Retaining Language from Previous Conferences
• The Beijing Declaration
• What is the Holy See?
• The Vatican's Attempt to Influence the Platform of Action
• Hot Debates
  • Children's Right to Privacy
  • Cultural Relativity
  • Decision-Making
  • Environment
  • Gender
  • Family versus Families
  • Feminists
  • Inheritance Rights
  • Intellectual Property Rights
  • Limiting Human Rights
  • Measuring Women's Unwaged Work
  • Resources to Implement the Platform
  • Sexual and Reproductive Rights
  • Sexual Orientation
  • Violence Against Women
• NGO Participation at the FWCW

The Documents

• Anatomy of the Platform for Action
• Abridged Platform for Action
• Statement from the Lesbian Tent
• Selected Governmental Commitments

One Year After Beijing

• UN Department of Public Information Report
• Follow-up on Government Implementation of Commitments: Women's Environment and Development Organization (WEDO)

  Resource List

  Using the Beyond Beijing Video: An Appendix for Teachers and Facilitators

Bibliography

List of Illustrations

The Video

Beyond Beijing was made possible in part by support from the Paul Robeson Fund for Independent Media, Chicago Foundation for Women, Crossroads Fund, The Sister Fund,  and Women in the Director's Chair.

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