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Nurses and midwives are encouraged to celebrate International Women’s Day (IWD) 2019 on Friday 8 March.


More Powerful Together is the 2019 IWD theme of the UN Women National Committee Australia. IWD events are being held in capital cities across Australia.

This year’s IWD theme is a call for all to take a stand in unison for gender equality, UN Women Executive Director Janelle Weissman said.

More Powerful Together is a reminder that to achieve gender equality, to ensure equal opportunities for all of us to lead, learn, earn a living and live lives from violence and discrimination, requires all of our participation.

“The benefits of gender equality are limitless, and not exclusive to women, but for all of us, whether in Australia or overseas.”

  • More than half a billion women in the world today live in unacceptable conditions of poverty.
  • One in three women across the globe experience violence.
  • The number of child brides is now estimated at 650 million.
  • Women still earn less than men for the same work even when they have the same abilities and experience.
  • Women make up just 23.8% of parliaments across the world.

UN Women has programs and educational initiatives that contribute to and promote gender equality. UN women-led initiatives such as the Safe Cities and Safe Public Spaces program, actively support authorities, grassroots and women’s organisations, and the community to respond to and prevent sexual harassment and violence against women and girls in public spaces.

The UN Women’s global theme for IWD 2019 is ‘Think equal, build smart, innovate for change’, linking with the UN Commission on the Status of Women’s focus on social protection, public services and sustainable infrastructure.

Nurses and midwives are encouraged to raise awareness, celebrate achievement or help raise funds through events such as a morning tea, film screening, fitness class, trivia night or something completely different. To get involved or download resources

https://unwomen.org.au/campaign/international-womens-day-2019/