The connection between women’s human rights, gender equality socioeconomic development and peace is increasingly apparent. Mahnaz Afkhami.

March 8, 2022 is International Women’s Day.

It wasn’t until 1975 that the United Nations formally ratified International Women’s Day and globally we started annually celebrating the social, economic, cultural  and economic achievements of women.

The seeds for the event were planted way back  in 1908, when 15,000 women marched through the streets of New York demanding shorter working hours, better pay and the right to vote.

The latest manifestation of this ever growing movement is The #MeToo Movement. It was started in 2006 by the American Tarana Burke, an activist against sexual abuse and went went viral in 2017.

That was then.

In 2022 there’s a new generation of brave women and girls. The list includes countless numbers in all of the professions, academia, thought leaders, writers, advocates of many persuasions, activists and  political leaders: Kamala Harris, Vice President of the United States, Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, Tsai Ing-wen, President  of Taiwan, Jacinda Ardern, Prime Minister of New Zealand, Muriel Browser, mayor of Washington D.C., Greta Thurman, climate change environmentalist, Malala Yousafzal, activist for female education, and, yes, even a poet, the amazing Amanda Gorman.

Everyone of them, standing on the shoulders of the many committed, courageous women who came before.

The theme of this year’s IWD is the UN’s celebration of the achievements and contributions of women and girls in different spheres.

Over the past week the world has watched in horror as the women, and men, of Ukraine have heroically struggled to defend themselves, their families and their country against the onslaught of an unexpected Russian invasion, the worst violence inflicted on a European country since WWII.

The role of the brave women of Ukraine could not be more evident.

With abated breathe, increasingly fearful, the world is hoping and praying for the best.

The fight for gender equality must never cease.

Hmmm…

Stay safe. Stay strong. Stay connected.

Thank you for reading me.