Abuja, 13 March, 2025 – On 7 March 2025, the WHO Nigeria locations of work buzzed with energy as workers joined the global occasion of International Females’s Day (IWD). The occasion supplied a meaningful different to honour the feminine crew at WHO Nigeria and reaffirm the organization’s dedication to gender equality and empowerment as distinguished drivers of health for all.
This yr’s IWD theme, “For all girls folks and girls; lawful, equality, empowerment #AccelerateAction,” resonated deeply with WHO’s mission to be certain equitable receive admission to to quality healthcare, particularly for girls folks and girls. The day used to be marked by a series of events highlighting the pivotal role of girls folks in healthcare and the unfamiliar challenges they face in advancing health fairness.
Recognizing Females’s Contributions
In his take care of to workers, Dr Walter Kazadi Mulombo, WHO Country Handbook in Nigeria, celebrated the excellent contributions of girls folks within WHO and the broader health sector. “International Females’s Day is a moment to recognise the invaluable contributions of girls folks across all parts of society,” he acknowledged. “As we possess an very honest correct time the achievements of girls folks in WHO and the health sector, we must moreover acknowledge the work that remains and decide to creating a extra inclusive, equitable, and supportive atmosphere for girls folks.”
Dr Mulombo emphasised WHO’s dedication to fostering workplaces and communities where girls folks’s voices are amplified, and their capability fully realised. “Investing in girls folks’s health and empowerment is now not any longer completely a topic of fairness but a distinguished prerequisite for building healthier and extra prosperous societies. To the whole girls folks leading, innovating, and driving change, we glance for you, hear you, and stand with you to bustle action,” he added.
Voices of Empowerment
Dr Lynda Ozor, President of the WHO Nigeria Group Association and a passionate recommend for gender fairness, shared her reflections on the importance of IWD. “Females are the genuine architects of society,” she remarked. “I attend girls folks to stand with and for every assorted. We can also merely silent look for ourselves as collaborators, no longer opponents. These of us who’re empowered must inspire as ladders to inspire and uplift the following generation of girls folks.”
The day moreover featured non-public tales from female workers individuals, who shared their experiences of working in health and emergency settings. Mrs. Saratu Ayuba, a workers member at WHO’s Northeast Emergency Enviornment Administrative heart in Borno Roar, highlighted the importance of reflection and action. “International Females’s Day is a time for everyone to contemplate, reinforce, and act toward a extra equal world,” she acknowledged. “We must stand against inequality, name out discrimination, and produce areas where girls folks feel valued and heard.”
A Collective Commitment
The events included discussions, panel discussions, storytelling classes, and interactive forums where workers explored the challenges and alternatives for advancing gender equality in health. These actions underscored WHO Nigeria’s ongoing efforts to handle systemic boundaries, a lot like gender-primarily based discrimination and unequal receive admission to to alternatives, that influence girls folks’s contributions to health programs.
The observance of IWD serves as a grand reminder of the collective accountability to be certain that every lady and lady can realise her stout capability. By empowering girls folks, WHO Nigeria contributes to stronger, healthier, and extra resilient communities, an distinguished step toward achieving health for all.
Moving Forward
WHO Nigeria remains dedicated to integrating gender equality into its programmes and operations . This includes advocating for girls folks’s management in health, addressing gender particular health desires, and supporting insurance policies that promote fairness. As a part of its global and regional options, WHO continues to champion initiatives just like the Gender, Equity, and Human Rights framework to bustle development toward a extra inclusive health landscape.
The occasion of International Females’s Day at WHO Nigeria used to be no longer lawful a moment of recognition but a renewed name to action. Collectively, workers reaffirmed their dedication to building a future where girls folks and girls thrive, lead, and contribute fully to the health and prosperity of communities worldwide.