International Women's Day has been marked on 8 March by a ceremony celebrating gender and environment advocates in Geneva and two campaigns raising awareness of women successfully battling gender stereotypes.
 

The 2017 theme to the day was 'Women in the Changing World of Work: Planet 50-50 by 2030'. In every region of the world, women do the bulk of unpaid work, meaning less time for rest, self-care, learning and other activities. Globally, women are furthermore on average paid 24 per cent less than men for doing the same work. Global Goal 5 aims for gender equality and to empower all women and girls.

“Women’s rights are human rights. But in these troubled times, as our world becomes more unpredictable and chaotic, the rights of women and girls are being reduced, restricted and reversed,” underlined UN Secretary-General António Guterres. Just one more year in school can add up to 25% to a girl’s income in future life, he noted.

Marking the day, the achievements of 20 men and women contributing to gender equality and women's empowerment in the field of environment were recognised during a prize ceremony organised by the Geneva Environment Network.  The awards follow a call for nominations from colleagues, and heralded the opening of an exhibition celebrating the advocates' passionate work.

The event was moderated by Elena Manaenkova, Deputy Secretary-General of the World Meteorological Organization, who received an award 2016. Click here to meet the full list of winners and read about their achievements.

In Bosnia and Herzegovina meanwhile, UN Environment contributed to a photo story campaign highlighting successful women in the world of work, including in the environment sector.

Also on 8 March, a series of videos of more inspiring stories of women battling stereotypes in the workplace - ranging from the electronic engineering to wine-making sectors - were launched.  The videos are the result of joint efforts between UNDP and the communications and gender teams in the Istanbul Regional Hub.

"What is good for the planet is good for women - this is true for jobs and also violence against women," stressed UN Environment Head Erik Solheim in a video message issued for the day.

What impact can renewable energy have on the lives of women for example? To find out more on the links between gender and the environment and our work in this field, click here or write to our gender focal point linda.kaseva@unep.org