This analysis, written by Gita Sen, examines the shifting political constraints on advancing gender justice through United Nations conference negotiations of the 1990s and early 2000s. Published in September 2005 as an Occasional Paper by the United Nations Research Institute for Social Development, it posits a critical framework for understanding the central tension between gender justice and other social and economic justice claims.The article argues that the 1990s, while dominated by a neoliberal economic consensus, allowed for significant progressive gains in sexual and reproductive rights, partly because religious fundamentalists held limited state power. In contrast, the rise of a neoconservative era post-2000, marked by strengthened fundamentalist control over key states, has resulted in tangible reversals and a more hostile environment. The analysis concludes that navigating this complex landscape requires renewed strategies and a sophisticated understanding of changing alliances to defend hard-won achievements and advance a progressive agenda.