30 Years On from Beijing: Where next for engaging men and boys in gender justice?

What did the Beijing Declaration say about men and masculinities?

The Beijing framework set a global agenda for gender equality, emphasizing the need to dismantle patriarchal systems, oppression and inequality. The Mission Statement of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action emphasised that “women share common concerns that can be addressed only by working together and in partnership with men towards the common goal of gender equality around the world”.

The inclusion of men and boys in the Beijing framework firmly established the issue of masculinities as a key part of the global political agenda on gender equality. In the decades that followed, the roles and responsibilities of men in advancing gender justice have been consistently reaffirmed in the Agreed Conclusions of every Commission on the Status of Women.

Over time, with growing depth and nuance, other global, regional, and national frameworks have also incorporated recommendations and language on the importance of engaging men and boys—raising the political support for both ‘why’ and ‘how’ this work is critical to achieving women’s rights and gender equality.

On the 30th commemoration of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, it is essential to take stock of the progress made and gaps in engaging men and boys and transforming patriarchal masculinities in gender, social and climate justice. 

Key trends on engaging men and boys in the years since Beijing

Over the past 30 years, efforts to engage men and boys in advancing gender justice have grown significantly, led by civil society, feminist networks, the research community, governments, and multilateral efforts. We have seen an expansion in programs and policies aimed at opening up conversations to reflect on the norms that we attach to ‘masculinity’, to disrupt norms and ideas that can lead to harm, and to engage men and boys in the process.

This trend is noted in the review by the UN Secretary-General on the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action which states that “recent years have seen more pro-feminist men’s organizations stand together with women’s rights movements and organisations seeking to transform patriarchal masculinities.”

Increasingly, this work has sought to keep up with feminist agendas, going beyond a focus on ending gender-based violence to address a broader range of issues outlined in the Beijing Platform for Action. This includes challenging militarized masculinities, promoting equal sharing of unpaid care work, encouraging active fatherhood, and pushing for policies that support fair, human rights-based care systems. Efforts have also expanded into areas like climate justice, youth leadership, online violence, sexual and reproductive health and rights, LGBTIQA+ rights, and gender-transformative education and health.

While we welcome the increased global interest in engaging men and boys over the last 30 years, progress in advancing transformative approaches to masculinities has been mixed. As our Joint Statement cautions:

“If work with men and boys is not informed by intersectional feminist, accountable, and gender-transformative approaches, then there is a risk that such programs may reproduce and reaffirm male privileges, take up disproportionate space in feminist discourses, and compete for limited resources.

We must ensure that all work to engage men and boys and to transform patriarchal masculinities is carried out in political and nuanced ways that add value to broader struggles for justice, human rights, care and peace, and which place patriarchy as the central root cause for gender inequality and work to dismantle it in all its forms.”

At CSW69, MenEngage Alliance is advocating approaches for engaging men and boys that add value to feminist movements rather than diluting them. This means centering the leadership of women, girls and gender-diverse people, and holding actors accountable for their role in dismantling patriarchal systems.

Importantly, as well as supporting the causes of women and LGBTQIA+ rights, we know that transforming harmful gender norms also brings incredible benefits to men and boys, in all their diversity, allowing them to explore their full humanity, free of restrictive and limiting conceptions of what it means to be a man.

The patriarchal face of backlash

Despite 30 years of progress, women’s rights and LGBTQIA+ rights remain uneven, and gender justice faces escalating threats worldwide. No country has achieved full gender equality, and in many places, anti-feminist politics are resurging, undermining gender and LGBTQIA+ rights while fueling misogyny, homophobia, and transphobia.

This backlash is evident in the global rollback on sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), the rise of online misogyny and the “manosphere,” and a crisis of militarized masculinities that reinforce war, violence, and occupation as political tools, eroding feminist peace efforts.

Simultaneously, support for feminism and gender equality among men and boys is declining, exacerbated by the growing influence of anti-rights groups, misogynist influencers, and far-right politicians. The ‘manosphere’, men’s rights groups, and extremist movements are targeting young men with narratives of grievance, entitlement, and opposition to feminism, deepening ideological divides and resisting progress.

This surge in anti-gender rhetoric has led to real-world consequences, including drastic cuts to international development funding—particularly for gender equality and LGBTQIA+ initiatives. These cuts are having a devastating impact on critical work and the lives of those directly affected.

In this context, it is crucial to break down the unequal power structures that fuel gender inequality. Deep-rooted patriarchal beliefs show up in social norms, institutional practices, and systems that work together to perpetuate violence and discrimination against women, girls, and LGBTIQA+ people. To tackle this, we need to challenge and dismantle patriarchal ideas about masculinity and engage men and boys to reject cultures that normalize violence, control, exploitation, and impunity.

What we want from world leaders at CSW69

This March, many members of MenEngage Alliance are joining thousands of gender equality advocates in New York, USA, as part of the 69th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. They are there to reflect on how far the world has come in delivering on the landmark Beijing agreement, and to push for more progress in a time of severe funding cuts and hostility against gender equality efforts.

In today’s challenging political climate, where gender justice efforts face attacks from multiple fronts, it’s crucial for our network to raise our voices and take action to support women’s rights LGBTQIA+ rights, and gender justice for all. As the main international space for shaping global commitments on gender equality, CSW is a crucial moment for MenEngage Alliance to show up in solidarity as part of the broader feminist movements, pushing for transformative change while promoting strategies that engage men and boys in ways that are accountable to feminist movements working for the pursuit of gender justice and social justice for all.

Together with partner organizations ABAAD, Equimundo, Let’s Breakthrough, and Sonke Gender Justice, MenEngage Alliance has submitted a Joint Statement into the negotiations, co-organized and collaborated in official events and side events, and will deliver an official Oral Statement on behalf of the Alliance.

In our Joint Statement we call on governments to step up their commitments to the goals of the Beijing Platform for Action. On the theme of masculinities, we call for governments “to advance anti-patriarchal and gender-transformative programs, policies and initiatives to engage men and boys and to transform patriarchal masculinities to realize the rights of all women, girls and LGBTIQ people worldwide.”

Behind the policies and advocacy lies the reality that these issues shape the lives of individuals, families, and communities in profound and personal ways. In our official Oral Statement, Anthony Keedi from ABAAD and member of MenEngage Lebanon, prepared a heartfelt reflection on what this means for him as a father:

“A bright light. That is what my almost one-year-old daughter’s name means, yet somehow even something so beautiful cannot begin to describe the happiness that immerses my soul when I look at her, play with her, and hold her. Simultaneously as a new parent and father to a little girl, I have never been so scared in my entire life. I wonder, what type of men will she meet in her life? Will they be caring, kind, and compassionate allies? Will they stand by her in her fight for her human rights?”

Jointly shaped by the global Advocacy Working Group of MenEngage Alliance, our Oral Statement also calls for investment in gender-transformative programs that engage men and boys; the enforcement of policies that dismantle patriarchal structures and end discrimination; ensuring sustained support for feminist, LGBTQI+, and youth-led movements; and the rejection of militarized masculinities and promotion of feminist peacebuilding.

As we commemorate 30 years since Beijing, this is a time for strategic action—to act in solidarity with social justice movements with urgency and commitment to ensure a gender just world for all right now, and for future generations.

 

Photo by Omar Rehan Khan