United Nations Day for Women's Rights
and International Peace, March 8

On December 16, 1977, the General Assembly invited all States to proclaim, in accordance with their historical and national traditions and customs, any day of the year as United Nations Day for Women's Rights and International Peace. States were called upon to continue to contribute to creating favorable conditions for the elimination of discrimination against women and for their full and equal participation in social development (resolution 32/142). That action came on the wake of the International Women's Year (1975) and the United Nations Decade for Women (1976-1985), both proclaimed by the Assembly.

The United Nations began observing International Women's Day, March 8, in 1975--the International Women's Year. In his message for the Day on March 8, 1995, the Secretary-General noted that "there is increasing recognition that the problems faced by women worldwide lie at the heart of the global agenda.... Efforts to improve the lives of the women of the world offer in many cases the most immediate efficacious means of changing entire societies for the better."

Source: United Nations Website: Observations