"Although much remains to be done to achieve full equality, the voices of women are being heard. March 8 provides an opportunity to pay tribute to the achievements of women and to highlight the needs and concerns of women on national, regional and global agendas," observes UN website.

The purpose of IWD is to put women and their rights to equality on the global agenda. According to UN, since early years, much progress has been made for women in developed and developing countries alike and in many countries, provisions guaranteeing the enjoyment of human rights without discrimination on the basis of sex have been included in constitutions; legal literacy and other measures have been introduced to alert women to their rights and to ensure their access to those rights.

Furthermore, the world community has identified violence against women as a clear violation of women’s rights; incorporating gender perspectives into regular programmes and policies has become a priority at the United Nations and in many member states.

Commenting on the fact that every day, in cities around the world, women and girls face sexual harassment and violence in public spaces as they go about their daily routines, Michelle Bachelet said, "Gender equality must become a lived equality".