Did the Beijing Platform for Action accelerate progress?

How has the Dutch government fared in implementing Beijing platform for Action?

By: van der Tol W & Koekebakker W
Published by: Hivos , 2005
Via: Eldis

This paper critically looks at efforts by the Netherlands to implement the actions and objectives of the Beijing Platform for Action (BPfA). The paper examines both the Dutch national and international gender equality policies. The paper makes several conclusions including the following:

Regarding the Dutch national gender equity policy:

• the Dutch government took steps to revitalise its gender equality policy in 2000, but its actions only partly conformed with the 12 critical areas of concern in the Beijing Platform for Action
• the Dutch Multi-Year Plan for Gender equality, which was established with clear objectives and ambitious benchmarks failed to be implemented, when in 2002 a new government was installed
• the government seldom takes into account the results of in-depth studies on gender issues, and also fails to revise its policy in accordance to recommendations made in these studies. The Netherlands does not implement its gender budget analysis
• the current Dutch subsidy policy is endangering the secure infrastructure of women’s organisations supporting the gender equality process in the Netherlands
• there is a lack of political commitment to actively implement the Beijing Platform for Action, with assistance from the women’s organisations, social partners and other experts
• the process of bringing about gender equality in the Netherlands is not yet complete.

Regarding their international gender equity policy:

• the Dutch International Gender Equality Policy does not conform with the five preconditions for gender mainstreaming
• the Women and Development policy has not been put down in writing and therefore, is not institutionally anchored
• there is no budgetary allocation for gender equality activities
• some Dutch embassies and some departments in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs are implementing beneficial work for the support of women
• after an initially promising start, attention for the implementation of the BPfA has progressively waned to the point where it has now become completely invisible.