The Infrastructure and Development Bank of Zimbabwe (IDBZ) Board of Directors, Management and Staff join the rest of the world in celebrating the International Women’s Day (IWD) in solidarity with the United Nations (UN), which has been set the 8th of March as the Observance Day for the commemoration every year. The International Women’s Day is set to honour women’s achievements and to celebrate the social, economic, cultural and political achievements, while simultaneously calling for actions and reforms that strengthen gender equality and push the agenda of women’s empowerment.
The 2025 global theme for the International Women’s Day is ‘For ALL Women and Girls: Rights. Equality. Empowerment’. The theme emphasizes the need for action to achieve equal rights, power and opportunities for all women and girls, highlighting the importance of promoting gender equality, empowering women and girls, and accelerating action to achieve a more just and equitable world.
This theme is particularly important as the world still grapples with significant gender disparities. Despite progress made since the adoption of the Beijing Platform for Action in 1995, women and girls continue to face numerous challenges, including gender-based violence, limited access to education and healthcare, and unequal economic opportunities. According to the World Economic Forum`s Global Gender Gap Report 2024, it will take another 134 years to reach gender parity.
The theme therefore reminds us that achieving gender equality is essential for sustainable development and human rights. As we commemorate this day, focus will be on the following key areas:
- Advancing Women's Rights: fighting persistently for women's and girls' full range of human rights, challenging all forms of violence, discrimination, and exploitation.
- Promoting Gender Equality: addressing systemic barriers, dismantling patriarchy,mtransforming entrenched inequities, and elevating the voices of marginalized women and girls.
- Fostering Empowerment: redefining power structures by ensuring inclusive access to education, employment, leadership, and decision-making spaces.