This is the theme for International Women’s Day 2025: Everything you need to know about ‘Accelerate Action’

International Women’s Day is observed every year on March 8, with millions across the United States and indeed the world getting ready to mark the occasion once again.

What’s happening on IWD 2025? Events in New York and Los Angeles.

The celebration of women’s social, economic, cultural and political achievements continues to grow year upon year having first been held over a century ago.

On 28 February 1909, 15,000 women took part in a march in New York City, calling for shorter working hours, better pay and the right to vote. A year later, the Socialist Party of America marked the anniversary of the march by declaring it the first National Woman’s Day.

That inspired similar demonstrations and commemorations across Europe in the following years, with March 8 officially declared International Women’s Day in 1922 by Vladimir Lenin, the head of government of Soviet Russia, in honor of the role played by women in the Russian Revolution in 1917.

In 1977, the United Nations began marking the day and organised celebrations, turning IWD into a mainstream global holiday.

‘Accelerate Action’: the theme for IWD 2025

‘Accelerate Action’ is the campaign theme for International Women’s Day in 2025, emphasizing the importance of dedicating resources and efforts to achieve effective and sustainable gender equality.

According to data from the World Economic Forum, it will take until the year 2158 to reach full gender parity at the current rate of progress.

How you can ‘Accelerate Action’

As the International Women’s Day website states, “IWD is about gender equality in all its forms. For some, IWD is about fighting for women’s rights. For others, IWD is about reinforcing key commitments, while for some IWD is about celebrating success. And for others, IWD means festive gatherings and parties”.

Women’s advancement is the objective that binds all of those forms together.

People across the world are invited to take steps to impact that advancement in their daily lives, from calling out stereotypes and challenging discrimination, to questioning bias and celebrating women’s successes.

IWD organizers have made a big call-to-action for all IWD events to incorporate an element of women-focused fundraising, both at global and grassroots level.

You can play an active role in marking the day by striking the #AccelerateAction pose (flexing your bicep) and posting an inspirational statement on social media using the hashtag #AccelerateAction.

Head over to the International Women’s Day website for more on the 2025 event.

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