--1975-- began as a year like many others, a United Nations Year. It was treated with skepticism by some, indifference by others and disinterest by yet other groups. But there was a difference. This was a year for women; a year which women had worked for, lobbied for. They had effectively used persuasion to make their case heard and their needs understood. It had been the women of the non-governmental organizations with Consultative Status at the Economic and Social Council (CONGO) -- who had been most active in promoting the idea of International Women's fear. And so Mexico...

The Mexico Conference and
Tribune

Women representing the nations of the world, governmental and non-governmental, were there-- women coming together for the first time.

The themes, "Equality, Development and Peace", were adopted as the issues under which most of women's concerns could be addressed. The United Nations organized the conference; concurrently the non-governmental organizations organized the Tribune. The United Nations Conference represented the opinions of governments of the world on women's issues. In the Tribune women voiced their own opinions.

As the 6,000 women of the Tribune and the 2,000 of the government conference in Mexico met, talked, explored their needs and disagreed at times, a momentum which could not be stopped was created. They realized that one year was nothing in relationship to the many problems experienced by women. A year was just too little time. In recognition of the need for ongoing consideration of the issues concerning women, 1976-1985 was declared, at the 30th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, as the United Nations Decade for Women.

...women began to
fully recognize their
weakness and vulner-
ability... and their
power.

How seriously was the World Plan of Action, adopted at the same session of the United Nations Assembly, taken by governments? On reflection, there is no doubt that it provided a guide to nations of the world for the critical work which lay in the decade ahead. Even those governments which had repudiated some of the passages in the text of the Declaration of Mexico, found in the Plan of Action useful guidelines for their future activities. The themes, "Equality, Development and Peace," applied to all women...to all mankind.

In the five years following the Mexico Conference, the results of the concerted action taken on these recommendations by governments, intra-governmental and non-governmental organizations (NGO's) were uneven. There was a significant increase in women's bureaus and women's desks established by governments. But even where laws were passed, implementation proved difficult. As questions of Equality, Development and Peace were addressed, it became apparent that other themes -- Education, Health and Employment -- were of equal importance. If women were to move forward, all these themes required equal attention.

Many of the women who had gone to Mexico were unsure of their abilities and unaware of their own potential. As they wrote to each other, worked in organizations and gained greater knowledge, their self assurance and their self confidence increased. The consciousness-raising started in Mexico when women began to fully recognize their weakness and vulnerability... and their power. The movement spread around the world.

The Copenhagen Conference and
Forum

By the mid-point in the Decade, the realization had grown that "women's issues" -- Equality, Development, Peace, Education, Health and Employment -- were central to the problems of national development.