The Secretary-General’s video message for International Women’s Day 2024

On International Women's Day, we celebrate women and girls around the world, and congratulate them for all they have achieved in the fight for equality. Women and girls have achieved great success - they have removed barriers, broken stereotypes and spurred progress towards a more just and equal world. But they still face major obstacles. Billions of women and girls face exclusion, injustice and discrimination, while the epidemic of violence against women has eroded humanity. Our world reflects millennia of patriarchal power relations. And progress is under attack, with women's rights pushed back At the current rate, legal equality will be achieved in the next three hundred years. We have to move forward quickly. On International Women's Day, we stand with women and girls who fight for justice, and resolve to shape development. This year's content - invest in women - shows that eradicating the patriarchy requires money on the table. We support women's organizations at the forefront. And we should invest in projects to eradicate violence against women and stimulate women's inclusion and women's leadership in the economy, digital technologies, peace building and climate action. All this depends on the availability of funds for sustainable development so that countries have funds to invest in women and girls. We also need to increase the number of women leaders in the business sector, the Central Bank and the Ministries of Finance. This can help stimulate investment in policies and projects that meet the needs of women and girls. Women's rights have proven to be the right path to just, peaceful and prosperous societies. This is good for all of us. Together, let's take immediate action to make it a reality.

Thank you.