UN Women @ Frankfurt Book Fair - For All Women and Girls: Words, Freedom, Books of Their Own

Date: Wednesday, 1 October 2025

UN Women @ Frankfurt Book Fair_Key Visual

Thirty years ago, the world came together in Beijing for the Fourth World Conference on Women in 1995, adopting the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action — the most ambitious and visionary blueprint for advancing gender equality and empowering all women and girls. Three decades later, its promise is more urgent than ever. Persistent inequalities, rising backlash against women’s rights, and overlapping global crises make the Beijing Platform not a milestone to look back on, but a living, urgent call to accelerate progress toward equality, freedom, and inclusion.

Literature has always carried a transformative power. Words shape how we see the world, challenge stereotypes, and inspire social change. For generations, books have been both refuge and liberation — especially for women whose voices were too often silenced or erased.

To honor this legacy, take stock of the present, and look toward the future, UN Women Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia (ECARO), together with the International Publishers Association (IPA), will join the Frankfurt Book Fair — the world’s largest and most influential gathering of the literary world.

Under the theme “For All Women and Girls: Words, Freedom, Books of Their Own,” on 15-17 October 2025, UN Women ECARO will amplify women’s voices, highlight their contributions to literature and society, and spark conversations on equality through three key events, bringing the vision of the Beijing Declaration closer to reality.

Events

Event: Women in Publishing: Glass ceilings and paper walls

Women in Publishing: Glass ceilings and paper walls

Women have long played a defining role in publishing, shaping stories, preserving cultural memory, and amplifying voices across continents. Yet, despite their contributions, too few rise to senior leadership positions or have equal access to opportunities to influence the industry at the highest levels. Thirty years after the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, progress remains uneven — and in today’s climate of gender pushbacks, even hard-won gains are at risk.

This event, taking place on 15 October, will examine the barriers that continue to limit women’s advancement in publishing, from systemic biases and unequal access to resources to workplaces that do not always guarantee safety and dignity. It will also explore how pushbacks to gender equality threaten women’s leadership, and how the sector can respond with determination.

Looking ahead, the speakers (scroll down for bios) will highlight the responsibility of publishers, industry associations, and cultural institutions to not only defend but expand opportunities for women — ensuring equitable career pathways, strengthening economic empowerment, and fostering work environments free from violence and harassment.

Event: Signing the Memorandum of Understanding between UN Women and the International Publishers Association

Signing the Memorandum of Understanding between UN Women and the International Publishers Association

The first event will continue with the signing ceremony of the Memorandum of Understanding between UN Women ECARO and the International Publishers Association (IPA). This agreement will pave the way for a new partnership to harness the transformative power of the publishing industry in advancing gender equality and women’s rights.

As a global voice in the publishing sector, IPA is uniquely positioned to shape narratives, shift norms, and create space for women in literature, publishing, and beyond.

Event:Awake not Sleeping: Rewriting the Narrative

Awake not Sleeping: Rewriting the Narrative

As Virginia Woolf famously wrote, “For most of history, Anonymous was a woman.” For centuries, women’s voices in literature were overlooked, erased, or hidden behind anonymity. Today, women are reclaiming their place in world literature, challenging stereotypes, and reshaping the narratives that define our societies.

Marking the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, this event, taking place on 17 October and inspired by “Awake Not Sleeping: Reimagining Fairy Tales for a New Generation,” a 2021 UN Women’s collection of 28 powerful stories from across Europe and Central Asia,” brings together well-known writers (bios below) from the region to explore how literature can influence and challenge social norms.

By reclaiming stories, debunking stereotypes, and amplifying women’s experiences, literature can be a powerful tool to drive equality, freedom, and inclusion.