The First Rule of Fight Club

Although the NGO tribune had been fashioned as the free-wheeling counterpart to the more protocol-bound intergovernmental conference, it did have one rule: no one was authorized to represent the tribune. However, by the conference’s mid-point, many tribune-goers, particularly those who had joined the Feminist Caucus, grew frustrated that they did not have a say in the government proceedings. The Feminist Caucus renamed itself United Women of the Tribune and sent a delegation led by Betty Friedan to submit proposed amendments to the IWY World Plan of Action. Other groups emerged to challenge the United Women’s authority to represent the tribune to the conference.