Photo - Evan Schneider/UN Photos
UN Women Executive Director Sima Bahous greeted the women and girls on the occasion of the International Women's Day. She said that we have never been so close to achieving gender equality; and never closer to losing it. Today, stronger laws exist on domestic violence. More girls are in school than ever before. Women’s movements are more connected, more visible, and more crucial than ever before.
And yet, this is also a moment of contradiction; she added. Violence is rising, including online. Backlash is organised and well resourced. Rights are being reversed in real time and at unprecedented speed. Impunity is spreading, in homes, online; and in conflicts, she reminded.
She said that International Women’s Day 2026, under the theme Rights. Justice. Action for All Women and Girls, must be our collective turning point.
Sima Bahous continued, "UN Women was built for this moment. From crisis zones to courtrooms, from the grassroots to global power. We stand with women and girls when rights are denied, justice is delayed, and violence is ignored. We support women’s movements. We stand with all survivors of violence, everywhere, always. We push laws, systems, and institutions to deliver for women and girls."