Gertrude Mongella: China's role in advancing the global gender equality revolution

The Global Leaders' Meeting on Women marks another milestone in advancing gender equality worldwide.

Held in Beijing from October 13 to 14, the two-day event brought together a diverse range of global leaders, among them Gertrude Mongella, Secretary-General of the historic Fourth UN World Conference on Women, held in Beijing in 1995.

Widely regarded as a landmark in the global women's movement, the 1995 conference adopted the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, which has since served as a blueprint for promoting women's rights and gender equality across the world.

In an exclusive interview with China Africa Talk, Gertrude Mongella reflects on the defining moments of the 1995 conference and shares her insights from this year's meeting. 

China Africa Talk: Thirty years ago, you served as Secretary-General of the Fourth World Conference on Women held in Beijing, a milestone in global women’s affairs. Since then, you've often been affectionately called "Mama Beijing" in Tanzania. Could you take us back to that historic moment? What were some of the key highlights of that conference and how do you see its enduring legacy today?

Gertrude Mongella: I think the word "Mama Beijing" is great because it makes people think of me and the Beijing conference. Sometimes, when you serve, it is a legacy. It is very satisfying to put together a conference like the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women, which was held in Beijing. It was a big task. It required a lot of energy, sacrifice, and sleepless nights. I think it became known as "Mama Beijing" because I participated in creating the Beijing results. That's the platform for action that we unanimously accepted and adopted.

We first had the World Conference on Women which was held in Mexico then we had the second World Conference on Women in Copenhagen which highlighted three general themes: equal access to education, employment and health services. Copenhagen was to assess how far we've gone with these three things. However, we had a third conference in Nairobi to develop forward-looking strategies to speed up the implementation of the agreed-upon principles for the development and advancement of women. Then came the Fourth Conference.

The fourth one was the greatest. It brought together many people from around the world, including 189 governments, religious and political groups, non-governmental organizations, and civil society.

During the preparations, many issues were discussed. We had two and a half years to prepare, and we formed committees to address the issues. We also examined many cultures and political systems. I was able to travel and touch base with the leaders because I believed that without their understanding, as well as that of the government, we could not succeed in Beijing. If I hadn't traveled, there would be no place for us to meet on this planet. So, it was a conference that made me travel a lot. In that case, I became an international citizen. Beijing really made me a new person.

We organized the mobilization in the Secretariat. We planned to mobilize the world because, without people knowing and understanding, how can they implement change? We organized the conference and preparatory meetings in a way that went from the grassroots level to the national level to the regional level and finally to the global level.

All institutions of the UN were involved if it was an issue concerning the girl child. Why is the theme the girl child? Because a woman starts out as a girl. If women are marginalized and girls don't receive an education, how can they escape poverty? You have to start from zero. The issue of poverty became very important in the world, especially for the poorest women all over the world. We had to prepare far in advance.

China Africa Talk: Looking at Africa specifically, how has the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action influenced the AU and regional organizations and national governments in advancing women's development and empowerment?

Gertrude Mongella: When we left Beijing, the question was: What are we taking home? I felt that every individual had homework including institutions at all levels. Encouraging people to take Beijing home was also a method of disseminating information. For example, after completing my mission in New York, I also had the opportunity to bring Beijing home because I felt that I owed it to my country for providing me with an education and preparing me. As an individual, I owe my skills to Tanzania, a poor country that could still sacrifice to develop a little girl like me. So, I had to bring Beijing home. I presented the declaration on the platform and handed it over to my president. At that time, it was Benjamin William Mkapa. He received me. Tanzania decided to focus on four areas: Education, health, economic empowerment, and violence against women. They said that if they addressed the laws, they would be able to overcome poverty.  In Tanzania, we had gender focal points in every ministry and in every place, including the police system.

Even within the AU, there is a special department that deals with women. One of the AU's roadmaps is the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. We asked for the Beijing Platform for Action to be adopted in every society and nation so that we could identify issues and take action. 

This has helped Africa examine its ecosystems and political systems, as well as the gender and masculinity issues that exist there. Men are not as bad as we think. They were just socialized that way. They were socialized by their mothers to think they are the best. So it wasn't the boys' fault, it was the fault of the mothers, who were told, "If you want to be a 'good' mother, make sure your son is masculine and not equal to a woman."

The AU has done quite a lot. They even put in place a resolution, which recognizes the role of women in peace and conflict resolution issues. That resolution has been in place for 25 years. We have seen many developments in different government systems and in our own community work through implementation of the Beijing Platform.

China Africa Talk: Thirty years later, you are back in Beijing for the Global Leaders' Meeting on Women. What have been some of your takeaways from this year's meeting so far, especially on President Xi Jinping's keynote speech?

Gertrude Mongella: First of all, I was so excited to be invited to this meeting because it's an opportunity for reflection. It's taking place in a country where the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action were born. I must say very frankly that China has contributed a lot to the world by hosting the two conferences, which allowed us to develop the roadmap and the platform simultaneously.

At the end of the conference, we are reviewing the implementation. As I said before, a revolution has begun. There is no turning back, and we are not turning back. At this conference, it was clear through the delegates' statements that we are not going back. In fact, we now know that we have a long way to go. The road can be rough and challenging at times, but we are still on the right road to developing a world of equality between men and women, a world of peace and development where we can all enjoy this planet. I have always believed that we are not invited to this planet. Women are not invited either. We belong here. Therefore, it's up to us to work with men to ensure that we succeed.

President Xi Jinping's keynote speech summarizes beautifully what we've gone through in these 30 years. It also suggests ways to speed up. He has not only offered support for women in China but also worldwide to ensure the implementation of projects that will improve the lives of women and men in general. I was impressed by that commitment, and it's what we need. Otherwise, without that strong commitment and partnership, we sometimes forget that the world is one. For example, China teaming up with African countries will allow them to transfer knowledge. The partnership should extend beyond each country. We have to transition from dependency to partnership. We have to work together. He made a strong statement about the need to support women and establish governance that cares for all people.