Citizen activism begins with concern that "something needs to be done!"
A contingent of 26 women from the Millionth Circle Initiative went as NGO delegates to the United Nations for the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) meetings in 2002. We learned No plans were being made for a Fifth UN International Conference on Women.
Beginning in 1975 previous conferences had been held in Mexico City (1975), Copenhagen (1980), Nairobi (1985), and Beijing (1995). Each had been larger and more significant than the one before. There was a widely held mistaken assumption that the next one would be in 2005, ten years after Beijing. As there is at least a three-year lead time needed to plan and make arrangements, and with no plans on the drawing boards in 2002, this was obviously not going to happen in 2005.
At every previous conference women came from all over the world, talked and bonded, learned from each other, and formed a network of friendships and political alliances on behalf of women. Most significantly women's rights were recognized as human rights in the Beijing Platform for Action.
Since Beijing (1995), the Internet has made global communication and connection a reality. It gives us the power at our fingertips to move ideas and funds, to mobilize and organize, and to make a difference. Finding out who to reach, and how, is often only a matter of one to three degrees of separation. We have now an increased ability to do more for women by women.
Although the Beijing Platform for Action is a step toward an equal world, many aspects of this have not been realized.
The continuing purpose of 5WCW is to support the idea and influence the United Nations to hold a 5th UN International Conference for Women to connect the world as never before due to technology.
To become a part of actualizing this movement go to www.5wcw.org.
5WWC was the original website created to further this initiative and is being maintained to document the history of this grassroots initiative in support of a 5th Women's World Conference prior to 2009.
