A PARADE to mark International Women’s Day (IWD) is set for next Tuesday in Honiara.
The public is invited to join and show their support for women and men working together to build a stronger nation.
The parade will kick off from Honiara City Council to the Art Gallery at 7:50am.
The parade aims to highlight and celebrate the achievements and potential of Solomon Island women and will be followed by speeches, entertainment and information stalls.
This year’s theme “Ikol lidasip fo mere en man save senisim en strongem kandere” highlights the important role women play in the development of this country and the need for women and men to work together to address barriers to gender equality.
International Women’s Day provides government, NGOs, churches, police, community organisations, schools, men and women the opportunity to come together to show their support of the Ministry of Women Youth Children and Family Affairs’ Gender Equality and Women’s Development policy.
One of the priorities of the policy is to support and encourage equal participation of women and men in decision making and leadership.
With the upcoming general election a call has been made to support having equal opportunities for women and men to be decision makers and leaders of the country.
International Women’s Day first occurred at the turn of the twentieth century through labour movements across North America and Europe.
In 1975 the United Nations officially began celebrating International Women’s Day on 8 March.
Today International Women’s Day is celebrated in countries all around the world.
It is a day when women are recognised for their struggles and achievements.
It is also a day for promoting the participation of women as equal partners with men in achieving sustainable development, peace, security, and full respect for human rights.
In his message for International Women’s Day 2014, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon states “Countries with more gender equality have better economic growth.
“Companies with more women leaders perform better.
“Peace agreements that include women are more durable.
“Parliaments with more women enact more legislation on key social issues such as health, education, anti-discrimination, and child support.
“The evidence is clear: equality for women means progress for all”.
Most of the activities for the day will be held at Art Gallery.
