The establishment of women’s machineries has been prioritized since 1975 by the international community when the United Nations held the first World Conference on Women in Mexico. In 1995 the Beijing Platform for Action (BPA) acknowledged that most member states established machinery for the advancement of women in their countries but noted that these machineries are “diverse in form and uneven in their effectiveness”. 

The Arab Renaissance for Democracy and Development (ARDD)´s think tank; The Renaissance Strategic Center (RSC) is undertaking this regional review, with a focus on women’s machineries in the Arab world, as part of the review of the implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action (BPA) thirty years after its adoption.

The role of women’s machineries in promoting gender justice and the empowerment of women and girls is crucial. These institutions can create impactful changes for women, girls, and the most vulnerable among them. They serve as the entry point for mainstreaming gender in public policies and legal frameworks. Efforts to establish national machineries for the advancement of women’s and girls’ rights in the Arab world began as early as the 1990s. However, the effectiveness of these women’s machineries remains a significant question for the women’s movement in the region.

Considering the importance of these machineries for the advancement of women in the region ARDD takes the opportunity of the Beijing + 30 review to assess where they stand, how they dealt with the challenges identified in previous review processes, and develop a reflection that could frame and support women’s movements advocacy in the region.