History of International Women's Day

International Women's Day is celebrated in many countries around
the world. It is a day when women are recognized for their
achievements without regard to divisions, whether national, ethnic,
linguistic, cultural, economic or political. It is an occasion for looking
back on past struggles and accomplishments, and more
importantly, for looking ahead to the untapped potential and
opportunities that await future generations of women.
In 1975, during International Women's Year, the United Nations
began celebrating International Women's Day on 8 March. Two
years later, in December 1977, the General Assembly adopted a
resolution proclaiming a United Nations Day for Women's Rights
and International Peace to be observed on any day of the year by
Member States, in accordance with their historical and national
traditions. In adopting its resolution, the General Assembly
recognized the role of women in peace efforts and development and
urged an end to discrimination and an increase of support for
women's full and equal participation.
History
International Women's Day first emerged from the activities of
labour movements at the turn of the twentieth century in North
America and across Europe.

1909
: The first National Woman's Day was observed in the United
States on 28 February. The Socialist Party of America designated
this day in honour of the 1908 garment workers' strike in New York,
where women protested against working conditions.

1910:
The Socialist International, meeting in Copenhagen,
established a Women's Day, international in character, to honour the
movement for women's rights and to build support for achieving
universal suffrage for women. The proposal was greeted with
unanimous approval by the conference of over 100 women from 17
countries, which included the first three women elected to the
Finnish Parliament. No fixed date was selected for the observance.

1911
: As a result of the Copenhagen initiative, International
Women's Day was marked for the first time (19 March) in Austria,
Denmark, Germany and Switzerland, where more than one million
women and men attended rallies. In addition to the right to vote and
to hold public office, they demanded women's rights to work, to
vocational training and to an end to discrimination on the job.

1913-1914:
International Women's Day also became a mechanism
for protesting World War I. As part of the peace movement, Russian
women observed their first International Women's Day on the last
Sunday in February. Elsewhere in Europe, on or around 8 March of
the following year, women held rallies either to protest the war or to
express solidarity with other activists.

1917:
Against the backdrop of the war, women in Russia again
chose to protest and strike for 'Bread and Peace' on the last Sunday
in February (which fell on 8 March on the Gregorian calendar). Four
days later, the Czar abdicated and the provisional Government
granted women the right to vote.
Since those early years, International Women's Day has assumed a
new global dimension for women in developed and developing
countries alike. The growing international women's movement,
which has been strengthened by four global United Nations
women's conferences, has helped make the commemoration a
rallying point to build support for women's rights and participation
in the political and economic arenas. Increasingly, International
Women's Day is a time to reflect on progress made, to call for
change and to celebrate acts of courage and determination by
ordinary women who have played an extraordinary role in the
history of their countries and communities.

The United Nations and Gender Equality
The Charter of the United Nations, signed in 1945, was the first
international agreement to affirm the principle of equality between
women and men. Since then, the UN has helped create a historic
legacy of internationally-agreed strategies, standards, programmes
and goals to advance the status of women worldwide.
Over the years, the UN and its technical agencies have promoted the
participation of women as equal partners with men in achieving
sustainable development, peace, security, and full respect for
human rights. The empowerment of women continues to be a
central feature of the UN's efforts to address social, economic and
political challenges across the globe.

www.un.org/womenwatch/feature/iwd/history.html

Celebrate Your Mum,Sister, Wife, Grandmother Today......

Brb Lemme Call My Sister, Mum and Grandma.... Next year I'm gonna be calling my wife too.

Shout out to my mom and to all women out there. Forget the icubators and maltreatment from some wicked men.

If not for your ability to carry and sustain life, the human race would have since gone into extinction.

You are all appreciated.