International Women's Day is celebrated in many countries around the world. It is a day when women are recognized for their achievements without regard to divisions, whether national, ethnic, linguistic, cultural, economic or political. International Women's Day first emerged from the activities of labour movements at the turn of the twentieth century in North America and across Europe.

Since those early years, International Women's Day has assumed a new global dimension for women in developed and developing countries alike. The growing international women's movement, which has been strengthened by four global United Nations women's conferences, has helped make the commemoration a rallying point to build support for women's rights and participation in the political and economic arenas.

The 2018 IWD theme is "Time is now: Rural and Urban Activists Transforming Women's Lives." 

UNFPA is a key partner in the United Nations family's efforts to observe IWD and disseminate its messaging and advocacy regionally and globally.

For more on IWD 2018, please visit: http://www.unwomen.org/en/news/in-focus/international-womens-day

For more on the history of how IWD came about, please vist: http://www.un.org/en/events/womensday/history.shtml