Canada and the Beijing Conference on Women: Governmental Politics and NGO Participation

by Elizabeth Riddell-Dixon, Elizabeth Riddell Dixon

This book examines the process by which Canada's policies for the Fourth World Conference on Women were formulated: a process that involved federal government officials from some twenty departments, provincial representatives, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) from across Canada.

Riddell-Dixon relates the findings of her study to two broad concerns in the literature on Canadian foreign policy-making. First, she assesses the relative importance of developments in the international arena on the one hand, and of domestic pressures on the other in determining foreign policy. Secondly, she considers the effectiveness of government efforts to democratize foreign policy.

Canada and the Beijing Conference on Women concludes by offering some points for NGOs to consider when developing lobbying strategies, as well as points for government officials to take into account when considering measures to facilitate NGO participation in the policy-making processes for future world conferences. Full of interviews with the key players involved, this book will interest scholars in Canadian foreign policy, women's studies, public policy, as well as diplomats and public servants.

264 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2001