Powerful synergies: Gender equality, economic development and environmental sustainability

Abstract

Current controversies about population, environment and human rights can be traced back to pivotal United Nations Conferences of the early 1990s that occurred in four cities—Rio de Janeiro, Vienna, Cairo and Beijing. In the international policy arena, the early 1990s were flush with optimism engendered by vigorous civil society movements, the growing realization of democracy—particularly in Latin America after a long night of dictatorship—and perceptions that the era of hard structural adjustment programmes was giving way to a greater focus on poverty eradication and human development. The democratic processes of the 1980s strengthened the voice of powerful actors on the global stage—in particular, environmental groups, women’s rights organizations and human rights activists.