ODVV’s Statement on the International Women`s Day

The International Women’s Day is commemorated on 8 March each year to remind us the importance of women’s rights and gender justice and our endless fight against discrimination.
The International Women’s Day is commemorated on 8 March each year to remind us the importance of women’s rights and gender justice and our endless fight against discrimination. This day in fact is a day to take a look at the moves ahead of us to pave the way for the blooming of talents and opportunities that await the future generation of women.
The International Women’s Day is a day for the creation of solidarity among women around the world to stand for their rights, equality and non-discrimination. These rights include all arenas such as scientific, political, social and cultural arenas. Although in the recent decades there have been many advancements in women’s rights and status in various countries, but women are still far away from their proper position and they suffer discrimination in all countries. In most of the advanced countries, women’s average income is lower than men. Education and health facilities for women are more limited. Three-quarters of the illiterates of the world are women and women make up a major part of the victims of violence, refugees, and victims of armed conflicts.
The ODVV believes every violation of women’s human rights will pave the way for a form of violence against women. It believes women’s rights are inalienable part of the human rights. Therefore, as a nongovernmental organization the ODVV calls upon domestic and international communities and civil society bodies to pay attention to women’s needs more than before and to take all sided actions for the preservation of their rights and achievement of gender justice.
The United Nations Charter is the first international document towards the realisation of women’s rights in universal dimensions and therefore the UN must pursue standards, programmes, strategies and objectives to remove challenges ahead, and promote women’s status throughout the world, and strengthen sustainable development, peace, security and human rights more than before.
We believe that the International Women’s Day should be an opportunity to reflect the achievements that have been made and the brave initiative started by women and also their determination to realise their rights. Women’s empowerment and also reformation of the socio-political structures of societies can play key roles in raising women’s status and position.

The theme announced for 2021: 'Women in leadership: Achieving an equal future in a COVID-19 world," can indicate that women have been very successful at this point in history. Despite their tender feelings and emotions, women have shown that they are more resilient during crisis, take on more responsibilities, adopt a new lifestyle during the epidemic and seek appropriate solutions to difficult problems.
During the Covid-19 epidemic, in addition to the multiple responsibilities of housework, raising and caring for children and family members, women also carry more burdens of life, while the quarantine measures face them with more complications difficulties.
Despite enduring unjust conditions and many hardships, both before the epidemic and now, women have proven that they can cope with life's problems and perform more effectively against the coronavirus these days.
It should be noted that, despite all the efforts made in recent years to create gender equality, there are still inequalities and gaps in achieving equal rights for women around the world that need more endeavor. In a part of his message on International Women's Day, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said: " I call on countries, companies and institutions to adopt special measures and quotas to advance women’s equal participation and achieve rapid change." “Pandemic recovery is our chance to leave behind generations of exclusion and inequalities”. “It is time to and build an equal future. This is job for everyone – and for the benefit of everyone”.