Welcome to the United Nations
This year, the International Women’s Day comes on the heels of unprecedented global movement for women’s rights, equality and justice. The celebration of the Day has taken the form of global marches and campaigns, including #MeToo and #TimesUp in the United States of America and their counterparts in other countries, on issues ranging from sexual harassment and femicide to equal pay and women’s political representation.
Echoing the priority theme of the upcoming 62nd session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women, International Women’s Day will also draw attention to the rights and activism of rural women, who make up over a quarter of the world population and are being left behind in every measure of development.
Rural women ensure food security for their communities, build climate resilience and strengthen economies. Yet, gender inequalities, such as discriminatory laws and social norms, combined with a fast-changing economic, technological and environmental landscape restrict their potential, leaving them far behind men and their urban counterparts.
View the infographic about some of these challenges and their consequences:
“Women’s rights are human rights. But in these troubled times, as our world becomes more unpredictable and chaotic, the rights of women and girls are being reduced, restricted and reversed. Empowering women and girls is the only way to protect their rights and make sure they can realize their full potential.”
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres.
Around the world, the United Nations system stands behind the realization of the rights of rural women, in principle and practice. Upholding these rights is essential to international commitments such as the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, and the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. Fulfilling the promise of the landmark 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, where the goals include gender equality as well as ending poverty and hunger, achieving decent work for all and combatting climate change, largely depends on empowering rural women and girls.
Each year, the UN system and other intergovernmental bodies champion the right of rural women. They are dedicated to upholding the right to a decent standard of living, the right to land and productive resources, the right to live free from violence and harm, and the right to a healthy and educated life. View some of the successful stories.
Join us to transform the momentum into action, to empower women in all settings, rural and urban, and to celebrate the activists who are working relentlessly to claim women’s rights and realize their full potential.
The #TimeisNow.
More information about the International Women's Day.
Join UN Women in celebrating the day.
Source: UN Women