7 things you should know about International Women’s Day
- The first National Women’s Day took place in 1909 and its roots are in campaigning for better pay and voting rights.
2. The United Nations began celebrating International Women’s Day (IWD) on 8 March during International Women’s Year 1975.
3. 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.
4. International Women’s Day is a time to reflect on progress made, to call for change and to celebrate acts of courage and determination by ordinary women who have played an extraordinary role in the history of their countries and communities.
5. The 2016 theme for International Women’s Day is “Planet 50-50 by 2030: Step It Up for Gender Equality”.
6.The United States designates the whole month of March as ‘Women’s History Month’.
7.Over the past few years Google have marked the occasion with a “Google Doodle” for International Women’s Day, changing their logo on the search engine’s homepage to reflect the occasion.
Source: UN Women & Mirror Online.
