International Women’s Day
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the European Union and Cooperation and its related entities are joining the celebrations to mark International Women’s Day with a schedule of events that you can read about here.
February 27, 2020
MADRID
The idea of an International Women’s Day came about in the late nineteenth century as workers’ movements and women’s organizations experienced an increased presence. However, the United Nations did not begin to celebrate a day devoted just to women until 1975. Finally, in December of 1977, the General Assembly adopted a resolution proclaiming the “United Nations Day for Women’s Rights and International Peace.” Since then, March 8 has gone global in scope.
The slogan “I Am Generation Equality: Realizing women’s rights,” selected by the United Nations for this year’s March 8 celebrations, fits in with the new campaign launched by UN Women within the framework of the Equality Generation Forum.
This campaign is one of the activities held to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and seeks the advancement of a progressive agenda of women’s and girls’ rights around the world, with Spain playing an active role. Adopted in 1995 at the Fourth World Conference on Women, it has been acknowledged as the most progressive road map for the empowerment of women and girls all over the world.
On the upcoming date of March 9, Spain will be taking part in the 64th period of sessions by the Commission on the Social and Legal Status of Women (CSW) in New York, which this year will mark the beginning of the commemorations of Beijing+25. In 2020, we will also be commemorating the twentieth anniversary of United Nations Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security, and the tenth anniversary of the creation of UN Women.
Promoting equality and non-discrimination based on gender is a priority in Spain’s foreign policy. Our country plays an active role at the international level in determining policies and creating instruments and institutions to fight against discrimination and to promote and protect women’s and girls’ rights; in particular, it seeks the eradication of violence against women, which is the most serious form of inequality between men and women, constituting a major violation of human rights.
Similarly, the promotion of gender equality has been one of the hallmarks of Spanish Cooperation’s identity for more than a decade now. Our country has been acknowledged in the examinations performed by the OECD’s Development Aid Committee as a reliable, committed partner that has taken very significant steps forward in policies to achieve equality and support feminist movements in the member countries.
