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Celebrating International Women’s Day: Progress, Persistence, and the Pursuit of Equality

By Blossom Ukoha “We have never been so close to achieving gender equality, and never closer to losing it.” These words from Sima Bahous, delivered in her official statement for International Women’s Day 2026 on behalf of UN Women, capture the urgency of the moment. In addition to the global “Give to Gain” campaign, the United Nations has emphasized the theme “Rights. Justice. Action. For All Women and Girls,” calling on governments, institutions, and communities to dismantle the structural barriers that continue to prevent women and girls from achieving full equality. For many women around the world, the struggle for equality is not an abstract debate, it is a lived reality. Consider the story of Maria, a young woman from a small coastal town in Latin America. Growing up, she watched her mother wake before dawn each day to sell food at a roadside stall while caring for five children.…