International Women's Day - March 8
The theme for 2008 is: Financing for gender equality

International Women’s Day is celebrated in many countries around the world. It is a day when women are recognized for their achievements without regard to divisions, whether national, ethnic, linguistic, cultural, economic or political. It is an occasion for looking back on past struggles and accomplishments, and more importantly, for looking ahead to the untapped potential and opportunities that await future generations of women.

In 1975, during International Women's Year, the United Nations began celebrating International Women’s Day on 8 March. Two years later, in December 1977, the General Assembly adopted a resolution proclaiming a United Nations Day for Women's Rights and International Peace to be observed on any day of the year by Member States, in accordance with their historical and national traditions. In adopting its resolution, the General Assembly recognized the role of women in peace efforts and development and urged an end to discrimination and an increase of support for women’s full and equal participation.
The United Nations and Gender Equality
The Charter of the United Nations, signed in 1945, was the first international agreement to affirm the principle of equality between women and men. Since then, the UN has helped create a historic legacy of internationally-agreed strategies, standards, programs and goals to advance the status of women worldwide.

Over the years, the UN and its technical agencies have promoted the participation of women as equal partners with men in achieving sustainable development, peace, security, and full respect for human rights. The empowerment of women continues to be a central feature of the UN’s efforts to address social, economic and political challenges across the globe.
 

The theme for 2008 is: Financing for gender equality
Previous Observance:

While manifestations of violence against women and girls vary across social, economic, cultural and historical contexts, it is clear that violence against women and girls remains a devastating reality in all parts of the world. Existing research, data and testimonials from women and girls world-wide provide chilling evidence. It is a pervasive violation of human rights and a major impediment to achieving gender equality, development and peace.

Such violence is unacceptable, whether perpetrated by the State and its agents or by family members or strangers, in the public or private sphere, in peacetime or in times of conflict.

International, regional and national legal and policy frameworks have been established, covering many different forms of violence in public as well as in private settings. However, progress in the development of such legal norms, standards and policies has not been accompanied by comparable progress in their implementation. It remains insufficient and inconsistent in all parts of the world.

States have an obligation to protect women and girls from violence, to hold perpetrators accountable and to provide justice and remedies to victims. The failure to meet these obligations is unacceptable. When the State fails to hold the perpetrators of violence accountable and society explicitly or tacitly condones such violence, impunity not only encourages further abuses but also gives the message that male violence against women is acceptable and normal. The result is the denial of justice to the individual victims/survivors, as well as the reinforcement of the prevailing gender inequality.

Eliminating violence against women remains one of the most serious and urgent challenges of our time. Every one has a responsibility to act when confronted with violence. Each one of us has a duty to support and sustain a political and social environment where violence against women and girls is not tolerated; where friends, family members, neighbors, men and women, intervene to prevent perpetrators to go unpunished.
To read more about this meeting.........http://www.un.org/events/women/iwd/2007/background.shtml

In 1995, the Beijing Platform for Action identified women in power and decision-making as one ofits critical areas of concern and outlined concrete actions to be taken by governments, the private sector, academic institutions, regional bodies and non-governmental organizations as well as the United Nations system to increase women's access and full participation in power structures and decision-making.

In most countries, women around the world are meeting the challenges of leadership, and contributing to change in their communities, countries and in the international arena in very real ways. Women have held public office at various levels of government, have initiated and led grass-roots organizations, and are present in virtually every professional field and in the private sector.
Yet while progress is being made towards the equality of women and men in decision-making at all levels, the pace is slow. Women continue to remain under-represented at all levels of decision-making and their achievements all too often remain invisible and unacknowledged, their voices unheard. Much more needs to be done, not only to accelerate the inclusion of women into formal decision-making bodies, but also to increase their impact in decision-making.

Yet while progress is being made towards the equality of women and men in decision-making at all levels, the pace is slow. Women continue to remain under-represented at all levels of decision-making and their achievements all too often remain invisible and unacknowledged, their voices unheard. Much more needs to be done, not only to accelerate the inclusion of women into formal decision-making bodies, but also to increase their impact in decision-making.
To read more of the resources on this meeting.........http://www.un.org/events/women/iwd/2006/resources.html