International Women’s Day -2024

By Dr. Santosh Kumar Mohapatra*

International Women’s Day (March 8) is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. International Women’s Day is not country, group, or organization specific but it’s a day of collective global activism and celebration that belongs to all those committed to forging and accelerating women’s equality.

According to United Nation, International Women’s Day (IWD) 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.

The date holds great historical significance. It coincides with the struggles of women for equality, justice, and their rights. The day serves as a reminder of the work still needed to empower women and advance their rights globally, as well as a symbol of the ongoing fight for gender equality.

Besides International Women’s Day (IWD) and the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, the UN observes other international days dedicated to raising awareness of different aspects of the struggle for gender equality and women empowerment.

On February 6, the International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation is observed, February 11 is the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, June 19 is the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict, June 23 is International Widows’ Day, October 11 is the International Day of the Girl Child and on October 15 the International Day of Rural Women is observed.

What is International Women’s Day and when did it start?

International Women’s Day (IWD) has been observed since the early 1900’s – a time of great expansion and turbulence in the industrialized world that saw booming population growth and the rise of radical ideologies.

According to World Economic Forum, it began life as National Women’s Day in the United States back in February 1909. The following year, at the second International Conference of Working Women in Copenhagen, Denmark, women’s rights activist Clara Zetkin called for an international women’s day to give women a greater voice to further their demands for equal rights.

It was unanimously approved by the female attendees from 17 countries, including Finland’s first three women MPs. International Women’s Day was marked for the first time in March 1911 – and the date was fixed as 8 March in 1913. The UN celebrated it for the first time in 1975.

UN Theme, Campaign Theme and Priority Theme.

Once a year the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) meets at the United Nations Headquarters in New York for two weeks around International Women’s Day (8th March). Member States meet for the sole purpose of working on gender equality and women’s rights. These meetings consist of high-level government ministers, representatives from NGOs and UN delegates, as well as hundreds of events set up by grassroots organisations and activists to discuss and make progress on specific issues, from child marriage to equal pay.

There is a central theme each year, but the events running alongside the Member State meetings cover a huge range of topics and areas of passion. Progress and gaps are discussed, and at the end of the two weeks a policy document is produced containing specific recommendations for the future of women’s and girls’ place in society. Member States agree on and sign up to this document together, and create action plans to put the recommendations into effect.

Each year, International Women’s Day (IWD) is given an “official theme” of the UN observance of the day, and “campaign them” which often relates to contemporary events, trends and struggles. In 1996 the UN announced their first annual theme “Celebrating the past, planning for the Future” which was followed in 1997 with “Women at the Peace table”, in 1998 with “Women and Human Rights”, in 1999 with “World Free of Violence Against Women”, and so on each year until the current.

The UN theme for International Women’s Day 2018 was: “Time is Now: Rural and urban activists transforming women’s lives”. Global marches and online campaigns such as #MeToo and #TimesUp, which originated in the United States but became popular globally, allowed many women from different parts of the world to confront injustice and speak out on issues such as sexual harassment and assault and the gender pay gap.

The UN theme for International Women’s Day 2019 was : “Think Equal, Build Smart, Innovate for Change”, puts innovation by women and girls, for women and girls, at the heart of efforts to achieve gender equality. The campaign theme for International Women’s Day 2019 was #BalanceforBetter.

According to the UN, the official theme of International Women’s Day 2020 was “I am Generation Equality: Realizing Women’s Rights”. And the campaign theme for International Women’s Day 2020 was #EachforEqual. The official theme of International Women’s Day 2021 was “Women in leadership: Achieving an equal future in a COVID-19 world”. Similarly, the campaign theme for International Women’s Day 2021 was #ChooseToChallenge.

Similarly , the theme of International Women’s Day 2022 was “Gender equality today for a sustainable tomorrow”, while the campaign them for International Women’s Day 2022 was #BreakTheBias. This means: Imagine a gender equal world. A world free of bias, stereotypes, and discrimination. A world that is diverse, equitable, and inclusive. A world where difference is valued and celebrated.

Similarly, the UN  official theme for International Women’s Day 2023 was “DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality”. This theme was aligned with the priority theme of the 67th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW-67), “Innovation and technological change, and education in the digital age for achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls . The Review theme was : Challenges and opportunities in achieving gender equality and the empowerment of rural women and girls (agreed conclusions of the sixty-second session).

The campaign them of the IWD 2023 was #EmbraceEquity -the quality of being “fair.” #EmbraceEquity, encourages everyone to “do their part in creating a fair and equal world within their sphere of influence.” Why equal opportunities aren’t enough. People start from different places, so true inclusion and belonging require equitable action. Equality means each individual or group of people is given the same resources or opportunities. Equity recognizes that each person has different circumstances and allocates the exact resources and opportunities needed to reach an equal outcome.

The theme of International Women’s Day 2024 is “Invest in women: Accelerate progress”, while campaign theme for International Women’s Day 2024 is #InspireInclusion. The theme aligns with the priority theme for the UN 68th Commission on the Status of Women (CSW 68) and will examine pathways to greater economic inclusion for women and girls everywhere.

The Priority theme of the sixty-eighth session of the Commission on the Status of Women- CSW68 (2024) (to be held from 11 to 22 March 2024) is: “Accelerating the achievement of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls by addressing poverty and strengthening institutions and financing with a gender perspective” while Review theme is: “Social protection systems, access to public services and sustainable infrastructure for gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls (agreed conclusions of the sixty-third session CSW63).

Investing in women: Accelerate progress

According to UN Women, “the world is facing many crises, ranging from geopolitical conflicts to soaring poverty levels and the escalating impacts of climate change. These challenges can only be addressed by solutions that empower women. UN Women is the United Nations entity dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women. A global champion for women and girls, UN Women was established to accelerate progress on meeting their needs worldwide.

World-renowned feminist, journalist and activist, Gloria Steinem, reportedly once explained: “The story of women’s struggle for equality belongs to no single feminist nor to any one organization but to the collective efforts of all who care about human rights.”Gender equality remains the greatest human rights challenge. One of the key challenges in achieving gender equality by 2030 is an alarming lack of financing with a staggering USD 360 billion annual deficit in spending on gender-equality measures.

The UN Secretary-General, António Guterres has identified five key areas that need joint action: Investing in women, ending poverty, implementing gender-responsive financing, shifting to a green economy and care society and supporting feminist change-makers. UN Women has also reiterated same.

By investing in women, we can spark change and speed the transition towards a healthier, safer, and more equal world for all.” Ensuring women’s and girls’ rights across all aspects of life is the only way to secure prosperous and just economies, and a healthy planet for future generations.

According to UN Women, investing in women is a human rights imperative and cornerstone for building inclusive societies. Investing in women is both an economic imperative and a human rights issue. It is a human rights issue because the global economic and financial systems are complicit in perpetuating gender inequality.

Ending poverty is imperative as the COVID pandemic, geopolitical conflicts, climate disasters, and economic turmoil have pushed an extra 7.5 crore people into severe poverty, since 2020. This could lead to more than 3.42 crore women and girls living below the poverty line by 2030, making immediate action crucial.

Implementing gender-responsive financing is also paramount need of hour because, due to conflicts and rising fuel and food prices, recent estimates suggest that 75 per cent of countries will curb public spending by 2025. Austerity negatively impacts women and crowds out public spending on essential public services and social protection.

There is need for shifting to a green economy and care society as the current economic system exacerbates poverty, inequality, and environmental degradation, disproportionately affecting women and marginalized groups. Advocates for alternative economic models propose a shift towards a green economy and care society that amplifies women’s voices.

Supporting feminist change-makers are required as Feminist organizations are leading efforts to tackle women’s poverty and inequality. However, they are running on empty, receiving a meagre 0.13 per cent of total official development assistance.

The value of women’s inclusion

As far as the campaign theme for International Women’s Day 2024” #InspireInclusion”  has larger implication. The fact is that when we inspire others to understand and value women’s inclusion, we forge a better world. And when women themselves are inspired to be included, there’s a sense of belonging, relevance, and empowerment. The aim is to inspire others to understand and value women’s inclusion so we can forge a better world.

In a world facing multiple crises that are putting immense pressure on communities, achieving gender equality is more vital than ever. Ensuring women’s and girls’ rights across all aspects of life is the only way to secure prosperous and just economies, and a healthy planet for future generations.

When we truly value difference, inclusion comes from the heart. When women aren’t present, we must ask: “If not, why not? “When women are discriminated against, we must call out poor practice. When the treatment of women is not equitable, we must take action. And we must do this each time, every time.

Organizations, groups, and individuals worldwide can all play a part – in the community, at work, at home, and beyond. To truly include women means to openly embrace their diversity of race, age, ability, faith, body image, and how they identify. Worldwide, women must be included in all fields of endeavour.

According to (https://www.internationalwomensday.com/), on an organizational or group basis, there are many ways to ensure the needs, interests and aspirations of women and girls are valued and included.

Organizations and groups can #InspireInclusion through action in areas such as: (1) forging women’s economic empowerment; (2) recruiting, retaining and developing female talent; (3) supporting women and girls into leadership, decision-making, business and STEM; (4) designing and building infrastructure meeting the needs of women and girls; (5) helping women and girls make informed decisions about their health; (6) involving women and girls in sustainable agriculture and food security; (7) providing women and girls with access to quality education and training; (8) elevating women and girl’s participation and achievement in sport; (9) promoting creative and artistic talent of women and girls; (10) addressing further areas supporting the advancement of women and girls.

Imagine a gender equal world. A world free of bias, stereotypes, and discrimination. A world that’s diverse, equitable, and inclusive. A world where difference is valued and celebrated. Together we can forge women’s equality. Collectively we can all #InspireInclusion.

Celebrate women’s achievement. Raise awareness about discrimination. Take action to drive gender parity. IWD belongs to everyone, everywhere. Inclusion means all IWD action is valid. Inspire others to help forge an inclusive world by sharing your #InspireInclusion image across social media using #IWD2024#InspireInclusion.

 

 

The author is an Odisha-based eminent columnist/economist and social thinker. He can be reached through e-mail at [email protected]

 

DISCLAIMER: The views expressed in the article are solely those of the author and do not in any way represent the views of Sambad English.