Fourth World Conference on Women, Beijing, 1995
In 1995, the UN held the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, China. Mahnaz Afkhami was invited to, and participated in, the conference which was the largest of its kind in history. Over 180 nations were represented by 30,000 women at the conference and 185 government delegations were represented by 5,000 individuals at the accompanying nongovernment forum.
The conference was a time of great excitement and great hardship. Shortly before the conference was to be held, the NGO forum was moved from Beijing to the village of Huairou into an unfinished sports complex. Huairou, an hour and a half drive from the conference in Beijing, was a small village with unpaved streets and constant rain. Event rooms were often changed with little to no notice and holes in the ground served as temporary toilets.
In spite of the hardships, the overall feel of the conference and forum was one of hope and anticipation. Representing the Sisterhood is Global Institute (SIGI), Afkhami with her colleague Afifa Dirani Arsanios held a session entitled "Religion, Culture, and Women's Human Rights". After discovering this session had been booked in an already occupied room, Afkhami and Arsanios had to scramble for a new location. However, once settled, the session was a huge success filled with energetic discussion and enthusiastic support.
