Every year on 8 March, UNESCO celebrates International Women's Day by hosting a flagship programme consisting of round-tables, conferences, exhibitions and cultural events that highlight issues relating to the empowerment of women and the promotion of gender equality.

The theme this year is "Equal access to education, training and science and technology: Pathway to decent work for women". It mirrors key elements of the priority theme of the 55th session of the Commission on the Status of Women.

For the women of the world, International Women’s Day is not only an occasion to review how far we have come in our fight for equality, peace and development, but also an occasion to mobilize for sustainable change.

It is a celebration of the achievements and contributions of each to the collective objective of gender equality and we hope that their commitment, determination and achievements set an inspiration for others.