UN Chief's Remarks for the International Women's Day

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Published Jun 22, 2024

The UN Secretary-General António Guterres delivers remarks for the official International Women’s Day commemoration on 8 March 2024.

On Women’s Day (8 Mar), UN Secretary-General António Guterres launched the UN System-Wide Gender Equality Acceleration Plan to place women and girls at the center of global initiatives.

During the official UN International Women’s Day commemoration in New York, Guterres said, “I am pleased today to launch the United Nations System-Wide Gender Equality Acceleration Plan, which commits to placing women and girls at the centre of our work across the board. We will support governments around the world to design and implement policies, budgets and investments that respond to the needs of women and girls. Targeted programmes and quotas may be required to tackle baked-in bias and dismantle the obstacles to equality.”

He acknowledged the progress made by women's rights activists, and highlighted the persistent challenges, including discrimination, gender-based violence, and the gender pay gap.

Guterres also addressed the slow progress in political representation, the impact of technology on perpetuating inequalities, and the global backlash against women's rights.

He said, “A global backlash against women’s rights is threatening, and in some cases reversing, progress in developing and developed countries alike.”

He also noted that politically, women remain under-represented and under-served.

The Secretary-General warned that at the current rate of change, achieving full legal equality for women may take 300 years.

“So is the end of child marriage” he added, “and by 2030, over 340 million women and girls will still be living in extreme poverty – some eighteen million more than men and boys. That is an insult to women and girls. And a brake on all our efforts to build a better world.”

He concluded stressing the urgent need for investments in ending violence against women, improving education and skills access, and increasing women's leadership roles.