Today is International Women’s Day (IWD) and the official theme for this year is “Equality for women is progress for all.”
The origin of International Women’s Day dates back to the early 1900’s and now every year on March 8, people around the world rally together to commemorate and support women. International Women’s Day is not only a time to celebrate achievements, but also a time to reflect on the progress made and call for increased changes. From women’s rights and gender equality to abuse and sex trafficking, various social, political, and economic issues concerning women are highlighted and become points of discussion (and even protest) around IWD.
The Millennium Development Goals call for the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women and during the IWD opening ceremony at the United Nations today, Hilary Clinton, known for being a champion of women, said “women and girls and the cause of gender equality must be at the heart” of the UN’s agenda to promote development around the world. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon echoed her sentiments, saying in his message, “This International Women’s Day, we are highlighting the importance of achieving equality for women and girls not simply because it is a matter of fairness and fundamental human rights, but because progress in so many other areas depends on it.”
This plays nicely into the ongoing debate on the post-2015 development agenda. We all know there are major issues around the access, quality, and availability of health services to women in developing countries, and that these issues are often further complicated by cultural and religious norms. I think it’s safe to say that although IWD is only one day a year, the discussion on women’s rights as a core component of global development will continue. It is essential.
Here’s a roundup of some IWD 2014 content in case you missed it:
- Women in Manila attempt to break a Guinness World record
- USAID released a short video to complement a recent report assessing progress toward gender equality over the past decade (the full report is available here)
- UN Foundation President and CEO Kathy Calvin made a plea for support
- Coverage on the protests in India
- Video portraits from women in Madagasdcar, Ireland and Nepal
- Summaries on IWD activities in the Arab world
- Even Google got in on the IWD action
“The fastest way to change society is to mobilize the women of the world.” — Charles Malik
What does International Women’s Day mean to you? Tell us in the comments below.
IH CONNECT 