BRIEFMarch 8, 2024

International Women's Day 2024

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On International Women’s Day 2024, we celebrate women’s achievements, yet recognize the urgent need to accelerate gender equality and equal opportunity for all. Too many women are still held back, and the cost of inaction is high.

We need urgent action to accelerate gender equality. Equality of opportunity for all is a matter of fairness and justice. It is essential for development. Women and girls are often more vulnerable to poverty, crises, and climate change. Gender equality and women’s participation in decision making – in communities, businesses, workplaces, and households – is key to well-being and prosperity. The evidence is clear: removing gender barriers unlocks economic productivity, reduces poverty, and deepens social cohesion. Closing the gender gap in employment could raise long-term GDP per capita by nearly 20 percent on average across countries.

Accelerating gender equality is at the heart of the World Bank Group’s mission to create a world free of poverty on a livable planet.

The draft World Bank Group Gender Strategy raises our ambition to accelerate gender equality to end poverty on a livable planet, with a focus on innovation, financing and collective action.

Doing our part to speed up progress, our upcoming Gender Strategy (2024-2030) has three ambitious objectives to:

End gender-based violence and elevate human capital
Expand and enable economic opportunities for women
Engage more women as leaders

Accelerating gender equality is not easy, but together, we can drive change. Join us for a series of events and explore more resources here.

Blog

Celebrating International Women’s Day with the urgency to accelerate equality

The evidence is clear: removing barriers for women unlocks economic productivity, reduces poverty and is fundamental to creating a world free of poverty on a livable planet. Here are 5 things to know about gender equality and the World Bank Group.
Read More

Talking Development

We Should All Be Feminists: A Conversation with Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and Anna Bjerde

We Should All Be Feminists: A Conversation with Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie | Talking Development

Featured Events

Regional Resources

Africa | East Asia & Pacific | Europe & Central Asia | Latin America & Caribbean |

Middle East & North Africa | South Asia

Africa:

Blogs & Stories

Gender:

Celebrate both: the road already traveled and the one ahead to empower women and girls in Togo

Education:

Jobs/skills:

Social protection:

Uplifting Vulnerable South Sudanese Households through Safety Net Assistance

Health:

East Asia and Pacific (EAP):

Pacific Women in Power: Leading the Region's Energy Transition

World Bank backs Pacific Women in Power Program for climate-aware energy sector, promoting women in leadership
Building Roads and Bridging Gender Gaps in Samoa

World Bank boosts female drivers in Samoa with upgraded infrastructure
Local Strength, Global Impact: Tonga's Path to Climate Resilient Infrastructure

Tongans unite, upgrade infrastructure post-disasters, fostering resilience and local employment

Immersive Story: Accelerate Equality in East Asia and Pacific

Financial Inclusion

Bosnia and Herzegovina
Female Employment

Kyrgyz Republic

Infographics

Middle East and North Africa (MENA):

Better childcare encourages more women to join the labor market in the Mashreq

Cash Transfers Incentivize Social Change for Women and Girls in Egypt

South Asia (SAR):

#ClearHerPath Campaign - Meet women who are blazing a trail in South Asia’s workforce

#ClearHerPath

Roshaneh Zafar, founder of Kashf Foundation and pioneer of microfinance for women in Pakistan, is passionate about helping women take control of their economic futures.
#ClearHerPath

Sumita Ghose, Founder of social enterprise rangSutra, helps India’s women artisans make their mark on the global textile market.
#ClearHerPath

A trailblazer in the field of urban design, City Scanner CEO Parul Sharma is creating safer, more livable and resilient roads, housing and public spaces in India.