UN Secretary General makes statement on Women’s Day

In his address on the occasion of the International Women’s Day, the UN Secretary General Kofi Annan has stated that much progress has been achieved in the advancement of women - from better legislation to greater participation, from the Cairo conference on population and development to the Beijing Platform for Action, from economic empowerment to intellectual emancipation.

But this International Women’s Day is also a reminder that for the majority of the world's women, daily life remains a difficult and sometimes dangerous struggle. The past year has brought into sharper focus the objectives of gender equality, development and peace that remain at the heart of our agenda, and that are still far from being achieved. We must strive to integrate women more effectively in peace processes worldwide.”*