Women's Day

Women from the Kunar Provincial Reconstruction Team and Iowa National Guard's 734th Agribusiness Development Team gather alongside Afghan women to celebrate International Women's Day at the Ministry of Culture and Information March 8. More than 100 Afghan women from the surrounding areas attended the event. (Photo by: U.S. Air Force 1st Lt. Nicholas Mercurio)

734 ADT

Iowa Guardmembers of the 734th Agribusiness Development Team pull security during an International Women's Day event in Asadabad, Afghanistan. Speakers at the International Women’s Day event in Asadabad included, the provincial governor, the provincial prosecutor and an Imam who noted women’s rights are grounded in Islam. The Director of Women’s Affairs also spoke. She thanked the ADT and PRT for providing help to the women of Kunar – and expressed hope for a day when women in Afghanistan can leave their homes and participate in society without fear.

Photo: Secretary Clinton and the First Lady with 2011 International Women of Courage Awards Honorees

Secretary Clinton hosts 2011 International Women of Courage Awards ceremony in commemoration of the 100th Anniversary of International Women’s Day. Pictured with her are First Lady Michelle Obama and the honorees.

State Department photo by Michael Gross.

The 100th Anniversary of International Women's Day on March 8 2011

Hillary Rodham Clinton

Secretary of State

Washington, DC

March 7, 2011

March 8th is the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day. And, as many of you know, this anniversary is important to me. At the 1995 Beijing conference, I was so humbled by the positive response to my message that human rights are women’s rights and women’s rights are human rights. But 16 years later, women still bear the brunt of poverty, war, disease, and famine. And when it comes to the boardroom meetings, government sessions, peace negotiations, and other assemblies where crucial decisions are made in the world, women are too often absent.

It is clear that more work needs to be done—to consolidate our gains and to keep momentum moving forward.

The United States continues to make women a cornerstone of our foreign policy. It’s not just the right thing to do. It’s the smart thing. Women and girls drive our economies. They build peace and prosperity. Investing in them means investing in global economic progress, political stability, and greater prosperity for everyone—the world over.

So let us mark this day by finding ways to ensure women and girls’ access to education, healthcare, jobs, and credit, and to protect their right to live free from violence.