International Women’s Day – Uniting for Peace
Today, on International Women’s Day, as we honour the achievements of women across the world, we must not lose sight of their ongoing struggles to live a more equitable, just and peaceful life.
At a time of mounting geopolitical conflicts, increasing poverty levels and the escalating impacts of climate change, it is women who bear the greatest burden.
The United Nations reminds us that more than 600 million women and girls currently live in war zones. We cannot ignore the dire and disproportionate toll of conflict on women and girls from Sudan to the Ukraine and Myanmar to Palestine – where UN Women estimates that two mothers have been killed by Israeli forces every hour in Gaza in the past five months.
It is widely acknowledged that the involvement of women in peace making processes contributes to a more sustainable, lasting peace – yet so often women do not get a seat at the negotiating table. Not only that, all forms of gender apartheid must be called out, underscored by the Sydney Peace Foundation’s 2023 peace prize recognition of the Woman Life Freedom movement and its stance against oppression of women in Iran and worldwide.
On this International Women’s Day, while conflict rages across the globe, we must recommit to peace with women’s voices at the centre. Let us come together to build a more equitable, just & inclusive world for all.