Seminar on the 30th Anniversary of Beijing Platform for Action
To commemorate International Women’s Day and the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Platform for Action (Beijing+30), Zonta Club of Kowloon sponsored and co-organized the captioned seminar with the Hong Kong Women’s Coalition on Equal Opportunities and the Gender Studies Programme of The Chinese University of Hong Kong on 7 March 2025. The event brought together more than 100 academics, civil society representatives, and community members to critically review the implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action in Hong Kong, identify emerging challenges to women’s rights, and explore strategic pathways for accelerating gender equality.
The keynote session by Prof. Puja Kapai, Associate Professor of the Faculty of Law, The University of Hong Kong, examined international mechanisms underpinning the Beijing Platform for Action and its periodic review process, highlighting both global achievements and substantial gaps in implementation. Subsequent thematic presentations focused on two emerging and interrelated areas shaping women’s human rights today. Ms Grace Kwok, Chairperson of the Environment Campaign Committee and Member of Zonta Club of Kowloon, spoke on women and climate change, underscoring the disproportionate impact of climate crises on women and the vital role of women’s leadership in climate action. Professor Han Ling, Assistant Professor at the Gender Studies Programme of The Chinese University of Hong Kong, examined women and digital participation, highlighting both the opportunities created by digital platforms for women’s economic participation and the growing risks of digital gender-based violence.
Two parallel panel discussions provided in-depth analysis of Beijing+30 implementation in Hong Kong, focusing on violence against women and women’s poverty and economic participation. Panelists drew attention to the under-recognized scale of gender-based violence, gaps in legal definitions and survivor-centred support, the feminisation of poverty, and the systemic devaluation of unpaid care work, including the contributions of migrant domestic workers.
