March 8 has been earmarked to celebrate women’s achievements in all fields. IWD is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. The women’s day has been celebrated for well over a century, with the first one in 1911.
The day marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity. Significant activity is witnessed worldwide as groups come together to celebrate women’s achievements or rally for women’s equality.
Purple, green and white are the colours of IWD, according to the International Women’s Day website.
“Purple signifies justice and dignity. Green symbolises hope. White represents purity, albeit a controversial concept. The colours originated from the Women’s Social and Political Union (WSPU) in the UK in 1908,” they say.
We have seen a significant step back in the global fight for women’s rights over the past year. The resurgence of the Taliban in August changed the lives of millions of Afghan women – girls were banned from receiving secondary education, the ministry for women’s affairs in the country was disbanded, and many women were told not to return to work.
In the UK, the murder of Sarah Everard by a serving police officer reignited debates around women’s safety.
The coronavirus pandemic also continues to have an impact on women’s rights.
In the past few years though, there has been progress – who can forget the impact of the #MeToo conversation, speaking out against experiences of harassment and sexual assault?
The last year has seen developments regarding abortion in several countries. Despite many of the achievements in the direction of women empowerment, they still have fewer opportunities for economic participation than men, less access to basic and higher education, greater health and safety risks, and less political representation.
SDG 5 aims to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls to reach their full potential. This requires eliminating all forms of discrimination and violence against them.
Gender inequality is the imbalance of power between men and women. It is a major challenge on local, national and global levels.
Not only does it affect the lives of individual men and women, but the inequality between genders also stunts economic growth and hinders development.
Guaranteeing the rights of women and giving them opportunities to reach their full potential is critical not only for attaining gender equality but also for meeting a wide range of international development goals.
Empowered women and girls contribute to the health and productivity of their families, communities, and countries creating a ripple effect that benefits everyone.
This IWD, we should join hands together to identify opportunities and empower women and girls with the tools and skills needed to challenge systemic inequality and gender biases to enable them to participate as equal players in climate change and sustainability decision-making.
Let us make this International Women’s Day a moment to recall that we have the answers not just for SDG 5 but, through the advancement of gender equality, for all 17 Sustainable Development Goals and Agenda 2030.