International Women’s Day is celebrated every year on March 8 across the world. The objective of Women’s Day celebration in different regions ranges from celebration of appreciation, love and respect towards women to commemorating women’s political, social and economic achievements. A story which initiated as a political event journeyed through years and blended the culture of many countries. While in some regions Women’s Day has lost its political flavour and is simply an occasion to express love and appreciation for women through flowers and gifts, in other regions, the human rights and political themes created by the United Nations run strong. UN themes for Women’s Day emphasises on broadening social and political awareness of the struggles of women globally in a hopeful manner.

Official UN Themes for International Women’s Day

Women’s Day themes designated by the United Nations are not just focused on spreading social and political awareness of women’s struggles around the world, but also on empowering the women fraternity, and appreciating and augmenting the role of women in the society. Listed here are the year-on-year Women’s Day themes created by the United Nations.

1996: "Celebrating the Past, Planning for the Future".

1997: "Women and the Peace Table"

1998: "Women and Human Rights".

1999: "World Free of Violence against Women".

2000: "Women Uniting for Peace".

2001: "Women and Peace: Women Managing Conflicts".

2002: "Afghan Women Today: Realities and Opportunities".

2003: "Gender Equality and the Millennium Development Goals".

2004: "Women and HIV/AIDS".

2005: "Gender Equality Beyond 2005; Building a More Secure Future".

2006: "Women in Decision-making".

2007:"Ending Impunity for Violence against Women and Girls".

2008: "Investing in Women and Girls".

2009: "Women and Men United to End Violence against Women and Girls".

2010: "Equal Rights, Equal Opportunities: Progress for All".

2011: "Equal Access to Education, Training, and Science and Technology: Pathway to Decent Work for Women".

2012: "Empower Rural Women, End Poverty and Hunger".

2013: "A Promise is a Promise: Time for Action to End Violence against Women".

2014: "A promise is a promise: Time for action to end violence against women".

2015: "Empowering Women, Empowering Humanity: Picture it!"

International Women’s Day Theme 2015

In 2015, the UN theme for Women’s Day was “Empowering Women, Empowering Humanity: Picture it!”
It emphasised the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, which was a historic roadmap in the success of International Women’s Day, signed by 189 governments twenty years ago. The declaration sets the agenda to realise women’s rights. Despite several achievements since then, many gaps still remain towards realising equal rights to women in many fields.

International Women’s Day 2015 have been celebrated to uphold achievements of women, identify challenges, give more attention to gender equality and women’s rights, and mobilise people to play their role. The event, based on Beijing Platform for Action, focused on twelve critical areas and strived to take a step ahead towards a world where every woman and girl can exercise their rights like participating in politics, authority to vote, pursuing education, making an income and living in a society free from discrimination and violence.