At a United Nations event in New York, progress in women’s rights and the challenges faced by women and girls globally were highlighted. Diplomats, advocates, and activists gathered in the General Assembly Hall. Speakers emphasized that progress on women’s rights is never automatic but is achieved by those who demand change.
The day began with a powerful message of empowerment as Grammy-winning singer and Broadway performer Michelle Williams took the stage to deliver a strong tribute to the strength and resilience of women and girls worldwide with her performance of “We Are Fearless.”
Call to Action
Sima Bahous, Executive Director of UN Women, described International Women’s Day as both a celebration and a call to action. “It is an appreciation of the talents, energies, courage, resilience, contributions, and leadership of women and girls around the world,” she stated. However, she warned of a growing backlash against gender equality, adding, “We are not backing down. We are doubling down. We are stepping up.”
Determined to Succeed
Actress and UN Women Goodwill Ambassador Anne Hathaway articulated the tension between celebrating progress and confronting ongoing inequality. “It is difficult to stand the distance between the promise of equality and its experience, knowing how far away it still is for so many people,” Hathaway said. Despite this, she stressed that the celebration itself is an act of defiance. “Yes, we absolutely are,” Hathaway asserted, indicating that the day should be celebrated despite ongoing injustices. “Our celebration today reaffirms our determination to overcome it.”
Justice Cannot Be Selective
Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai delivered a thought-provoking address, warning that justice cannot be selective. “You will hear a lot about ‘access to justice’ this week. But true justice does not defend the humanity of children in one place and ignore it in another,” Yousafzai stated. She pointed to conflicts and oppressions worldwide, mentioning girls in Iran, Gaza, and Afghanistan. She called on governments to oppose what she described as systematic discrimination against Afghan women and girls. “This is not culture. This is not religion. This is a system of discrimination and subjugation – we must call the regime in Afghanistan by its real name: gender apartheid,” she declared.
Girls Everywhere Trust Us
Also speaking at the event was Sumbul Reha, a young Afghan student and musician, who responded to the question of what it means to grow up in a place where girls’ voices are suppressed. “I know what it means for a girl’s voice to be silenced. I have lived it,” Reha said. She expressed hope for the determination of young people despite the challenges faced by women and girls in Afghanistan and elsewhere. “We have not been defeated. We will not stop. We have hope,” Reha stated, urging world leaders to defend girls’ right to education and women’s right to speak out. “There are millions of girls who are with me spiritually – they all trust us and all of you.”
