“It was the birthplace of global feminism”

Jan 29

Charlotte Bunch reflects on the Nairobi conference

For Charlotte Bunch—a US feminist and leader in the LGBTQ+ and human rights movements—Nairobi was a breakthrough. For the first time, feminism felt truly global—alive with conversations that had never happened before. Listen to Bunch, Distinguished Professor Emerita at Rutgers and Founder of the Center for Women’s Global Leadership, reflect on that transformation, and share her hopes for the next generation of feminist activists.

Learn more about the Third World Conference on Women in Nairobi in 1985.

“Nairobi broke open that everything is a women’s issue, and therefore feminists can have something to say about anything.”

— Charlotte Bunch

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The United Nations and the Global Women’s Movement: Learning from the Past, Looking to the Future

In 1975, leaders from around the world converged on Mexico City for the first-ever UN World Conference on Women–and then met three more times, including Beijing in 1995. In this exclusive report, the UN Foundation Girls & Women Strategy team charts the history, and offers lessons for the future.

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“It was the birthplace of global feminism”

“We strategized. We were smart. We negotiated.”

“For women’s rights, you will always have people who want to produce setbacks”