Women’s Initiative at Columbia SIPA’s Institute of Global Politics (IGP) and GWL Voices Release New Report for Beijing+30 Anniversary

New York, NY – September 22, 2025  – The Women’s Initiative at Columbia SIPA’s Institute of Global Politics (IGP) together with GWL Voices today released Beijing+30: A Roadmap for Women’s Rights for the Next Thirty Years, a new report issued on the thirtieth anniversary of the historic UN Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, where 189 nations adopted an ambitious Platform for Action to advance women’s rights. The report outlines policy priorities critical to advancing the full and equal participation of women and girls in the twenty-first century, including in the areas of democracy and human rights, technology, economic participation, and conflict and climate. 

“Thirty years ago in Beijing, I said that women’s rights are human rights. Across the world, we've seen rapid progress in some areas since then, but also dangerous regression. Authoritarian leaders are rolling back rights and the institutions that protect equality. This report is a forward-looking perspective and reminder that even today, we have the tools to make rapid, durable progress with deliberate and courageous action that will allow us to continue to fulfill the promise of Beijing,” said Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton, IGP Faculty Advisory Board chair.

“We believe that increasing women’s leadership and representation is particularly important. We know that women’s leadership is not only about achieving parity, but it is also about transforming the very nature of leadership. We live in a time of converging crises that demand new responses—responses rooted in care, collaboration, accountability, and courage,” writes GWL Voices cofounder and former foreign minister of Argentina Susana Malcorra and GWL Voices executive director María Fernanda Espinosa in the report’s afterword. 

The report was coauthored by Jennifer Klein, professor of professional practice at Columbia SIPA and director of the IGP Women’s Initiative; Rachel Vogelstein, associate professor of professional practice at Columbia SIPA, director of the IGP Women’s Initiative, and director of the SIPA Concentration on Human Rights, Gender, and Equity; and Lauren Hoffman, special assistant to Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton and associate director of IGP.

“This report comes at a pivotal moment for the future of women’s rights,” note its authors. “To combat global backlash on women’s rights and accelerate progress, the report offers a roadmap to meet modern challenges and further the Beijing Platform for Action over the next thirty years.” The report proposes key levers designed to accelerate the pace of change, including innovative financing, institutional leadership and reform, coalition building, and improved data and research. It reflects insights from a March 2025 global commemoration of the thirtieth anniversary of the Beijing Conference hosted by the IGP Women’s Initiative and partners at Columbia SIPA, which featured recommendations from world leaders and young activists at the forefront of the women’s movement.  

The report concludes with an urgent call to advance progress on fulfilling the Beijing Platform and realize the promise of women’s full and equal participation once and for all.

The full report is available here.

Media Contact: Lionel Beehner, Senior Editorial Director, Columbia SIPA, [email protected]

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