“Women and gender-policy are nationally and internationally under pressure”, says Barbara Unmüßig, board-member of the organizing Heinrich-Boell-Foundation. While there had been great successes in gender mainstreaming policy, the social, economic and political indicators for real equality of men and women wouldn’t look as encouraging as they should be. Ten years after Beijing, neo-conservative political powers would rather be trying to reverse achievements made by women in the past.

Considering the situation, discussions about strategies on how women’s movemnets could gain back the political initiative would be much needed. Exactly that is what the conference “Femme Globale – Genderperspectives for the 21st century” is all about. Organizers are the Heinrich-Boell-Foundation in co-operation with the Centre for trans-disciplinary gender studies at Berlin's Humboldt-University.