In 1995, 17,000 delegates and 30,000 activists from around the world gathered in Beijing for the Fourth World Conference on Women. People from the Netherlands also travelled to China to contribute to this historic gathering. Thirty years later, Atria and Vertelburo are recording the stories of eight extraordinary Dutch women who attended. Their memories bring back to life the atmosphere, dreams and struggle for women's rights at the time.
In 1995, 17,000 delegates and 30,000 activists from around the world gathered in Beijing for the Fourth World Conference on Women. People from the Netherlands also travelled to China to contribute to this historic gathering. Thirty years later, Atria and Vertelburo are recording the stories of eight extraordinary Dutch women who attended. Their memories bring back to life the atmosphere, dreams and struggle for women's rights at the time.
In 2024, the United Nations celebrated the 30th anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women in 1995 in Beijing. At that conference, all UN countries signed the Beijing Declaration for Women's Rights; the most important agenda for women's rights and gender equality worldwide.
What does the research involve?
The Beijing +30 project collects through oral history interviews the personal experiences of Dutch women who participated in the Fourth World Conference on Women in 1995. What drove them to Beijing? What ideals did they have, and how do they look back on it now? These interviews form new source material on international solidarity, women's gender equality and the impact of feminist cooperation across borders. The interviews will be captured on film, transcribed and included in Atria's archive.
What role does Atria play within this research?
Atria is coordinating the entire research process: from preparing and conducting the interviews to archiving the material. Eline van Miert (Atria) leads the project and conducts the preliminary interviews, in collaboration with Vertelburo (Ane C. Ose and Jet Homoet), who provide the interviews and film recordings. The recordings will be kept in Atria's archive and in the digital core collection of DANS (KNAW). A short teaser will also be made to share the stories more widely.
What are the aims of this research and what will be the output?
The project preserves the memories of women actively working for women's rights and gender equality during the Fourth World Conference on Women in 1995, so that their experiences are not lost. The output consists of video interviews, transcripts, a short teaser and the inclusion of the material in Atria's collection. This will keep this history alive and accessible for future research.
Team
Franca Hehenkamp (researcher and policy advisor until 1 August 2025)
Partners
Ane C. Ose and Jet Homoet of Vertelburo (interviews and recordings)
