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AKO International Women’s Day 2021 #ChooseToChallenge 

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All of our supporters can show their involvement for IWD 2021, by posting an image of themselves on social media with their hand raised high to show they choose to challenge and call out inequality. Please tag in Anna Kennedy on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and join us to be part of this year’s theme and #ChooseToChallenge.

Paula McGowan, our AKO Charity Overseas Ambassador shared “Challenge brings change. Change brings inclusion, acceptance and tolerance”.

About IWD

International Women’s Day is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. This year’s International Women’s Day campaign has chosen the theme #ChooseToChallenge with the idea that a challenged world is an alert world and individually, we’re all responsible for our own thoughts and actions. “We can all choose to challenge and call out gender bias and inequality,” the campaign states. “We can all choose to seek out and celebrate women’s achievements. We all belong in a world that must challenge.

Marked annually on March 8th, International Women’s Day (IWD) is one of the most important days of the year to:

• celebrate women’s achievements
• raise awareness about women’s equality
• lobby for accelerated gender parity
• fundraise for female-focused charities

To do this, we must break down the deep-seated historic, cultural, and socio-economic barriers that prevent women from taking their seat at the decision-making table to make sure that resources and power are more equitably distributed.

Collectively, we can all help create an inclusive world.” People are being asked to “raise your hand high to show you’re in and that you commit to choose to challenge and call out inequality”.  It would also contribute to the economic security and independence that is necessary for women to engage more deeply in the decisions that could change their future.

Despite the barriers, women, especially young women, are at the forefront of diverse and inclusive movements for social change , we know that more inclusive leadership and representation leads to stronger democracies, better governance, and more peaceful societies.

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