Skip to Content Skip to Navigation

Today, March 8, we celebrate International Women’s Day, joining with advocates and leaders around the world to recognize the progress made and obstacles that remain in advancing women’s equality. In a video address, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said that this year “marks an anniversary very close to my heart,” referencing the 15-year anniversary of the UN Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, China.

“The message from that conference rang loudly and clearly, and still echoes across cultures and continents: Human rights are women’s rights, and women’s rights are human rights.”

Secretary Clinton went on to say that much work remains: “Women are still the majority of the world’s poor, unhealthy, underfed, and uneducated. They rarely cause violent conflicts but too often bear their consequences. Women are absent from negotiations about peace and security to end those conflicts.”

Throughout the week, Secretary Clinton will be commemorating International Women’s Day, and will present Melinda French Gates the Global Trailblazer award at the 2010 Vital Voices Global Leadership Awards on March 10.

Today marks the start of an exciting week for Vital Voices. This evening, Board Member Diane von Furstenberg will host a reception for Panmela Castro, our Human Rights Award honoree. Panmela is a graffiti artist from Brazil who brings the message of women’s rights to the favelas of Rio de Janeiro, informing women of their right to live free of violence under Brazil’s domestic violence law. During the day, Panmela will be creating a mural at the DVF Studio in New York City.

Other events this week include:

March 9

Launch of Women Can and Do media campaign with the ringing of the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange. 2010 honorees will join past honoree Danielle Saint-Lot of Haiti to introduce this exciting collaboration with Diane von Furstenberg and founding partners Standard Chartered Bank, Avon, and Time Inc.

Day one of a three-day summit hosted by the Global Partnership to End Violence Against Women, a collaboration between Vital Voices and the Avon Foundation for Women at the State Department. Delegates from around the world will gather at the State Department for dialogue and working sessions on ending violence against women. An evening reception will honor Men’s Voices to End Violence Against Women.

March 10

2010 Vital Voices Global Leadership Awards at the Kennedy Center. We will honor six remarkable women for their contributions in the fields of human rights, economic empowerment, and political and social activism.

March 12

Opening night of The Daily Beast’s Women in the World: Stories & Solutions summit at the Hudson Theatre in New York. Vital Voices’ play SEVEN will be performed by actresses including Meryl Streep, Shohreh Aghdashloo.

March 13

Inaugural DVF Awards at the United Nations headquarters in New York. Four outstanding women will be recognized for their contributions to their communities, including Vital Voices Global Network members Danielle Saint-Lot and Sadiqa Basiri.

Visit our site to learn about the many exciting events of the week!