The principles of the UNWWO are in line with the three major documents of the United Nations: The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
In 1948, the United Nations adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. In this milestone document, the rights of women were enshrined alongside their male counterparts’. More than 70 years later, while major international commitments have been declared and progress has been made, these rights still have not been fully realized. The UNWWO acknowledges these rights, and works towards them in each project the UNWWO takes on.
- Right to self-determination
- Right to liberty
- Right to due process of law
- Right to freedom of movement
- Right to privacy
- Right to freedom of thought
- Right to freedom of religion
- Right to freedom of expression
- Right to peaceful assembly
- Right to freedom of association
The Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action was adopted by the United Nations at the end of the Fourth World Conference on Women on September 15, 1995. The conference took place in Beijing on the 50th anniversary of the UN. Built on the progress previously made at the UN conferences on women, the Beijing Declaration put into action a set of principles that ensure the full implementation of women’s rights as an inalienable, integral and indivisible part of human rights and fundamental freedoms. Statements made in the Beijing Declaration include the following:
- A strong held belief that “women’s empowerment and their full participation on the basis of equality in all spheres of society…are fundamental for the achievement of equality, development and peace”
- A determination to “eliminate all forms of discrimination against women”
- A determination to “ensure equal access to and equal treatment of women and men in education and health care”
- A determination to “promote women’s economic independence”