On International Women’s Day, we celebrate the strides made in the direction of gender equality and women’s empowerment as well as critically assess those achievements and work to accelerate the global movement in that direction. It is a day to honor the remarkable deeds of women and to come together as a strong force to pursue gender equality globally.
The United Nations Charter, which was adopted in 1945, was the first international document to formally recognize the equality of women and men. In 1975, during International Women’s Year, the UN observed its first International Women’s Day on March 8.
Two years later, in December 1977, the General Assembly passed a resolution establishing a UN Day for Women’s Rights and International Peace, which Member States are free to mark on any day of the year in line with their own national and historical customs.
On March 1, 1988, the late president Corazon Aquino declared the 1st week of March, of every year as Women’s Week and March 8, 1988 and every year thereafter as Women’s Rights and International Peace Day.
According to the late President Corazon Aquino’s Proclamation No. 224 – DECLARING THE FIRST WEEK OF MARCH OF EVERY YEAR AS WOMEN’S WEEK AND MARCH 8, 1988 AND EVERY YEAR THEREAFTER AS WOMEN’S RIGHTS AND INTERNATIONAL PEACE DAY:
“Filipino women have been active in the struggle for national independence, for
civil liberties, for equality of the sexes, and for human rights and it is but just and proper to declare a week and a particular day of the year as
Women’s Rights and International Peace Day, in solidarity with the United Nations, and in commemoration of the struggle of Filipino women for national freedom, civil liberty, equality and human rights.”
For women in affluent and poor countries alike, International Women’s Day has taken on a new global significance since those early years. In order to increase support for women’s rights and involvement in political, social, cultural, and economic spheres, the commemoration has become a focal point for the expanding global women’s movement.
