International Women's Day

08 March 2012

A mother and child in a community run garden in Molia, Niger. Photo: David Ohana/ OCHA.

This year, International Women’s Day focuses on the empowerment of rural women and their role in poverty and hunger eradication, development and current challenges.

“Invest in rural women. Eliminate discrimination against them in law and in practice. Ensure that policies respond to their needs. Give them equal access to resources. Provide rural women with a role in decision-making.” UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon

Learn more about UNDP's work to empower women >

Our Stories

Bangladeshi micro-credit model helps empower Zambian women

Just two years ago, Elizabeth Sakala-Banda, a mother of seven in Zambia’s eastern Petauke district, was unemployed and had no way of knowing that an Asian micro-credit scheme could turn her life around, and help put her children through school. During 2010, Elizabeth and some 829 other women j more

"Now I exist": Delivering identity cards in Burundi

By Aaron Nsavyimana, second place of UNDP's storytelling contest. Those of us possessing an identity card can imagine how things would be without one. Those of us who don’t possess one don’t need to imagine. We know. We know we can’t vote, can’t be heard, and certainly can’t run for office. But it more

Kyrgyzstan: Community development provides relief during harsh winter

The village of Kazybek, at the foot of the mountains in Naryn province, Kyrgyzstan, endures extremely harsh winters, with temperatures averaging around -20Cº and sometimes dropping as low as -40Cº. “Previously, the kindergarten was only open during the warmer seasons and closed for nearly five month more

Our Videos

The Glass Ceiling

a 30-minute documentary depicts the challenges women face when seeking public office in Thailand.

UNDP talks with the Rwandan Speaker of the Parliament Ms. Rose Mukantabana

With 56 percent women in the Parliament Rwanda is first in the world for women parliamentarians.

Statement by UNDP Administrator, Helen Clark

"Rural women account for nearly half the agricultural labor force and are custodians of traditional knowledge about the land and their local environment. Backed by small development investments, rural women can lead the way in building food and nutrition security for their families and communities, and thus in building resilience to future extreme weather events."