This publication reviews the progress made towards the implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action, which was adopted at the World Conference on Women in Beijing in 1995. The report is based on an analysis of responses received from 154 participating governments to a questionnaire. The book is divided into three sections. Part 1 gives background information on the Beijing Conference and an overview of the intergovernmental process since then. Part 2 analyses progress made on critical areas of concern highlighted at the conference. These include: poverty; education and training; health; violence against women; human rights; and the environment. It also considers the institutional arrangements adopted at international, national and regional level; and the bilateral and multilateral financial arrangements. Part 3 identifies some of the political, social, economic and cultural trends addressed in the Platform for Action which pose new challenges to its full implementation. These include: globalisation; migration; issues of identity; and the changing nature of conflict.