Events: International Women's Day 2013

International Women's Day 2013: Official UN Observance

10:00-12:00, Eastern Standard Time, 8 March, Conference Room 2, North Lawn Building, United Nations Headquarters, New York
[Download Event Flyer]

Archived Webcast

Related UN-system IWD Events Worldwide

Monday, 4 March

57th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women

4-15 March 2013, United Nations Headquarters, New York
[All Events]

The 57th session of the Commission on the Status of Women convenes from 4 to 15 March 2013 at United Nations headquarters. The priority theme focuses on the elimination and prevention of all forms of violence against women and girls.

Read more: CSW 57 Main Page| Side Events

Tuesday, 5 March

The World Bank Group: IWD Events

5-12 March, Various locations
[Visit Website]

The World Bank Group promotes gender equality and women's empowerment year-round. This year, the World Bank Group will commemorate International Women's Day with a series of events in the weeks surrounding March 8, held online, across its regions and networks, at the International Finance Corporation, and at external venues, such as the United Nations' 57th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women. Please join the World Bank Group in celebrating the accomplishments of women worldwide online or at these events.

Thursday, 7 March

Women's Empowerment through Entrepreneurship: From Principles to Practice

18:00-21:00, Central European Time, 7 March, Intercontinental Hotel, Geneva, Switzerland
[Download Event Flyer]

Despite their significant participation in the economy, with over 34% of firms worldwide having female participation in ownership, it is estimated that women win less than 1% of corporate contracts. The Women's Empowerment Principles seek to change this through emphasising the business case for corporate action to promote gender equality and women's empowerment. Under Principle 5, signatories commit to implement enterprise development, supply chain management and marketing practices that empower women. At this meeting, speakers will share experiences in translating commitments into reality, underlining how this is creating opportunities for women business owners. This event is hosted by the International Trade Centre (ITC) and the Organization of Women in International Trade.

Documentary: It's a Man's World

18:00-21:00, Central European Time, 7 March, Intercontinental Hotel, Geneva, Switzerland
[Event listing]

To mark International Women's Day Al Jazeera will screen a new documentary 'A Man's World'. The documentary will focus on the issue of rape in Cambodia and what can be done to prevent it. The 30-min documentary, part of the Al Jazeera '101 East' series, will include interviews with Partners for Prevention's Research Specialist, Emma Fulu, and UN Women Cambodia Country Director, Wenny Kusuma.

Air times GMT:

Thursday 7 March 2230
Friday 8 March 0930
Saturday 9 March 0330
Sunday 10 March 1630

Air Times Bangkok, Phnom Penh:

Friday 8 March 0530
Friday 8 March 1630
Saturday 9 March 1030
Sunday 10 March 2330

For more information or to view online from March 9, visit: http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/101east/

Friday, 8 March

Women Make the News 2013: Towards a Global Alliance on Media and Gender

8 March, UNESCO
[Visit website]

On this occasion of International Women's Day (IWD), 8 March, UNESCO joins forces with international and regional partners to launch the annual Women Make the News (WMN) initiative under the theme, Towards a Global Alliance on Media and Gender.

Launched annually, Women Make the News is a global initiative aimed at fixing attention on an issue relating to gender equality in and through the media, driving debate and encouraging action-oriented solutions until global objectives are met. It is to this end that UNESCO has developed resources such as the Gender-Sensitive Indicators for Media.

One Woman: A Song for UN Women

12:01, Vanuatu Time, 8 March
[Visit website: English Español Français 简体中文]

From China to Costa Rica, from Mali to Malaysia acclaimed singers and musicians, women and men, have come together to spread a message of unity and solidarity: We are "One Woman". To be launched on International Women's Day, 8 March 2013, the song is a rallying cry that inspires listeners to join the drive for women's rights and gender equality.

ESCAP IWD Commemoration: Ending Violence Against Women - Our Shared Responsibility

10:30-12:00, ICT, 8 March, Unied Nations ESCAP, United Nations Conference Centre, Bangkok, Thailand.
[Download Event Flyer]

Introduction
Welcome remarks by the Co-Chairs of the Asia-Pacific RCM Thematic Working Group on Gender Equality and Empowerment of Women
Partners for Prevention: new research findings on men's use of violence against women and girls
Honouring women and girls who are survivors of violence: testimonials from women activists in Asia and the Pacific
Special dedication of the painting "Half the Sky": (a) Statement by Mr. Rafeeuddin Ahmed, former Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of ESCAP; (b) Dedication by Ms. Vimala Sundram
Keynote address by Dr. Noeleen Heyzer, Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of ESCAP
Closing
Refreshments and viewing of exhibition

UN-ESCWA Panel Discussion: Elimination and Prevention of all Forms of Violence against Women and Girls

13:00-15:30, EET, 8 March, Unied Nations ESCWA, Beirut, Lebanon.

In commemoration of International Women's Day, the ESCWA Centre for Women will host a panel discussion on the following topics:

addressing state obligation towards ending violence against women as reflected in the Due Diligence Principle;
addressing the role of National Women's Machineries in combatting violence against women in the Arab region, especially as it relates to the most vulnerable, such as women in rural areas;
discussing the (often unrecognized) economic dimension of violence against women in the Arab region, especially in terms of linkages between violence against women and gender segregation, on the one hand, and female under-employment, devaluation of women's work, unequal access to economic opportunities, and exclusion from the power dynamics of labor unions and the formal market, on the other; and
discussing the issue of using transitional justice as a means to address violence against women in the region in the context of recent uprisings in several Arab countries, and of combatting violence against women in times of conflict and transition.

Parallel to this event, ESCWA released a plea signed by the Executive Secretary as well Arab politicians and thinkers condemning violence against women. Read plea: Arabic | English

Women, Violence and Food Security

10:00-12:30, Central European Time, 8 March, WFP Headquarters, Rome, Italy
[Download Event Flyer]

The Executive Heads of the World Food Programme (WFP), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), and the International Development Law Organization (IDLO), in partnership with the Government of Iceland, will hold a joint commemoration for International Women's Day 2013.

Related Links:

Stop Violence at Work

11:00-13:00, Central European Time, 8 March, ILO – Governing Body Room, Geneva, Switzerland
[Download Event Flyer]

ILO's Director General, Mr Guy Ryder, and other distinguished speakers representing workers' and employers' organizations will participate in the panel debate. Dr. Charlotte Harland will grace the event, and share her perspectives based on her wide experience in development work. Each speaker will share good practices and experiences, followed by an active question and answer session from the floor.

Forum Theatre Workshop on Gender-based Violence

11:30-13:30, Central European Time, 8 March, ITC-ILO, Room 173, Pavilion Oceania, Turin, Italy
[Event web page]

The UN has dedicated this year's International Women's Day to the theme of the elimination of violence against women. The problem concerns everyone, women, men, all over the world.

Come and bring the issue on stage. Participate in our Forum Theatre Workshop on gender-based violence.

What: Through games and exercises, you will have the opportunity to bring on stage very simple situations in which you believe gender violence could be born. This work will consist of a collective and playful research on the roots of violence. While campaigns often show dramatic aspects of the phenomenon, this workshop aims at revealing together the simplest situations between men and women where violence can appear.

There is absolutely no need to have acting experience or to be an expert about gender issues. Your life experience is the expertise we will use to build a stronger collective awareness. If you believe everyone has the creative potential to trigger change in everyday life, then this workshop is for you.

Forum theatre is a set of tools aimed at enabling individuals to express and overcome difficult situations. Once an issue has been staged, participants then try to tackle the problem and rehearse solutions, all of this in a safe theatrical framework.

Who is invited: Staff and participants on campus. Activity managers are encouraged to facilitate the participation of their course participants in this activity and are kindly requested to contact ILSGEN (International Labour Standards, Rights at Work and Gender Equality Programme) in advance.

Facilitator: Olivier Malcor is an experienced Forum Theatre facilitator with 15 years of experience.

Languages: The workshop will be mainly in English but Mr Malcor is fluent in Italian, French, and Spanish — so, language is not an issue!

Please confirm your participation to ILSGEN Secretariat, by 4th March, 2013.

Tuesday, 12 March

57th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW): Side Event on Human Rights of Migrant Women

10:00-11:15, Eastern Standard Time, 8 March, Conference Room B, UN North Lawn Building, UN Headquarters, New York
[Download Event Flyer]

The priority theme of this year's Commission on the Status of Women, taking place at the United Nations Headquarters in New York from 4 to 15 March 2013, is the elimination and prevention of all forms of violence against women and girls, including migrant women and girls. This October, the United Nations General Assembly will convene the second High- Level Dialogue on International Migrati on and Development (HLD). The 2013 HLD provides an important opportunity to explore progress made by the international community in enhancing the benefits of migration for development while reducing its negative impacts. In particular, the HLD will dedicate one of its four roundtables on developing measures to protect the human rights of migrants, with a special focus on migrant women, which is the topic of this side event.