UNITED NATIONS
MESSAGE of the UN
Secretary-General
INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY
I am happy
and honoured to send you my warmest wishes on International Women’s Day – my
first one as Secretary-General of the United Nations. I hope you will all come
to know me as your representative and ally in the years
ahead.
This day is
an opportunity for all of us – women and men – to unite in a cause that embraces
all humankind. Empowering women is not only a goal in itself. It is a condition
for building better lives for everyone on the planet.
No one can
dispute the evidence that this is so. And no one can gainsay the outcome of the
2005 World
Yet we are
still so far from turning this understanding into universal practice. In almost
all countries, women continue to be under-represented in decision-making
positions. Womne’s work continues to be undervalued, underpaid, or not paid at
all. Out of more than 100 million children who are not in school, the majority
are girls. Out of more than 800 million adults who cannot read, the majority are
women.
Worst of
all, violence against women and girls continues unabated in every continent,
country and culture. It takes a devastating toll on women’s lives, on their
families, and on society as a whole. Most societies prohibit such violence – yet
the reality is that too often, it is covered up or tacitly
condoned.
That is why
International Women’s Day is so important. It spells out our responsibility to
work for enduring change in values and attitudes. It calls on us to work in
partnership – Governments, international organizations, civil society and
private sector. It urges us to work for a transformation in relations between
men and women, at all levels of society. It compels us to strenghten every means
of empowering women and girls – from education to micro
credit.
The United
Nations must be at the forefront of those endeavours. I pledge to do all I can
to ensure that it is – not only on International Women’s Day, but every day. I
look forward to working with you in our collective
mission.
***