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Bahá’í World News Service

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Official news source of the worldwide Bahá’í community

“Glimpses into the Spirit of Gender Equality”: BIC releases new film

February 3, 2021

BIC New York — A feature-length film on gender equality produced by the Bahá’í International Community (BIC) premiered today at a virtual screening before a gathering of UN officials, ambassadors of member states, non-governmental organizations, and other civil society actors.

“The film examines advances in the area of equality of women and men at the level of the grassroots and their connection with the conversations that have been unfolding at the UN, drawing on examples inspired by Bahá’í community-building efforts in different countries around the world,” says Saphira Rameshfar, representative of the BIC.

The BIC film marks the 25th anniversary of the landmark Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action that resulted from the Fourth World Conference on Women in 1995 and reflects on advances made toward the goals for gender equality articulated in the declaration.

The BIC film looks at advances in the area of gender equality in diverse communities around the world. Slideshow
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The BIC film looks at advances in the area of gender equality in diverse communities around the world.

A central theme of the film is the Bahá’í principle of equality between women and men. “The soul, the essence of what makes human beings human, is neither male nor female,” says Ms. Rameshfar. “The search for meaning, for purpose, for community and the capacity to love and to persevere are not dependent on gender. This is a principle with profound implications for the organization of every aspect of human society.”

Bani Dugal, Principal Representative of the BIC (left), and BIC Representative Saphira Rameshfar (right) with Mary Power, who, as the Principal Representative of the BIC in 1995, chaired a major forum of nongovernmental organizations at the Fourth World Conference on Women. Slideshow
5 images

Bani Dugal, Principal Representative of the BIC (left), and BIC Representative Saphira Rameshfar (right) with Mary Power, who, as the Principal Representative of the BIC in 1995, chaired a major forum of nongovernmental organizations at the Fourth World Conference on Women.

Commenting on the film, Bani Dugal, the BIC’s Principal Representative to the United Nations, says, “Since the Beijing Declaration in 1995, much has been learned about the enabling conditions that foster gender equality.

“Whatever setbacks and obstacles may appear over the next 25 years, the awakening in humanity’s consciousness to the truth that women and men are equal will never be lost.”

The BIC has made available a specially dedicated web page featuring the full film and additional clips of interviews as a resource to stimulate thoughtful discussion on the themes highlighted in Glimpses into the Spirit of Gender Equality. Subtitled versions of the film will soon be available in Arabic, French, Mandarin, Persian, Russian, and Spanish.