"Equal rights, equal opportunities, progress for all" is the theme for the celebration of International Women's Day at the United Nations in New York on Wednesday.

Fifteen years ago in Beijing, at the United Nations' Fourth World Conference on Women, I witnessed and reported on the pledges made by the governments of 189 countries to promote equality between women and men.

A lot of high-flown promises came out of that gathering, which brought together women politicians and activists from around the world, including Hillary Rodham Clinton, then first lady of the United States.