In a statement marking the 20^th Anniversary of the Beijing Conference, the Bahá’í International Community, the international NGO representing Bahá’ís at the United Nations and other international and regional spaces, wrote:

“At the outset, we wish to state clearly our belief that the equality of men and women is a facet of human reality and not just a condition to be achieved for the common good. That which makes human beings human—their inherent dignity and nobility—is neither male nor female. The search for meaning, for purpose, for the community; the capacity to love, to create, to persevere, has no gender. Such an assertion has profound implications for the organization of every aspect of human society.”

Today, the principle and the need for gender equality is something that few deny – all deserve equal remuneration for the same job; all must be able to vote and thus to contribute to the political life of a country; all must have access to education. However, is this enough? The concept of equality, at the heart of so many discussions and action, is one which deserves some reflection. What do we mean and understand by equality? How does this understanding translate into reality? Some elements can help contribute to this discussion.

Equality can be owned, promoted, and contributed to by all, whether individuals, institutions, and structures of society or the collectivity and communities at the local, regional, and national levels. A good reason for celebrating is that so many have made the cause of gender equality their own. The examples demonstrating this are numerous: the feminist strike of June 2019 in Switzerland, the preceding and following actions; the efforts to ensure that being with children in the early days of their lives is something that both parents can do without having to take leave; the work at the grassroots by authorities and civil society to support families; the engagement of institutions of higher learning to encourage young women to study in any field of their choice; the list continues.

The Bahá’í community is contributing to making this principle a reality in Switzerland: it invites the participation of all in building strong and vibrant communities; it engages in spaces where gender issues are discussed, and sees how to advance this conversation; the composition of the Bahá’í institutions in Switzerland shows that equality is a given, with historical equal representation of women and men. At the international level, realizing the equality of women and men is a focus area of the Bahá’í International Community. A series of articles have explored how Bahá’í communities have begun to implement the gender equality provisions of the Beijing Declaration in neighborhoods and villages around the world.

2020 is not only a time for celebration, but also for evaluating our collective actions, studying the current reality, and planning for what still lies ahead of us. The Swiss Bahá’í community looks forward to pursuing its engagement for greater gender equality and seeking further collaborative ways to build on the results achieved so far.