Beirut: Today, on International Women’s Day 2025, the United Nations is celebrating the vital role of women and girls in leading, healing, and rebuilding Lebanon under the global campaign ‘For ALL Women and Girls: Rights. Equality. Empowerment’. This campaign emphasizes the necessity of unlocking equal rights, power, and opportunities for all. This year’s observance is particularly notable as it coincides with the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, a significant global pledge to advance gender equality.
According to National News Agency – Lebanon, the progress towards gender equality remains precarious and uneven. Without changes, a girl born today could wait decades for her rights: 68 years to end child marriage, almost 40 years for women to have equal parliamentary representation, and over a century to eradicate extreme poverty among women and girls.
In Lebanon, the situation is critical, with recent escalations of hostilities with Israel between October 2023 and November 2024 exacerbating vulnerabilities. Nearly 900,000 individuals were displaced, with women and girls constituting 51 percent of this figure. Women-led households account for approximately 21 percent of the estimated 260,000 affected households.
Imran Riza, the United Nations Deputy Special Coordinator and Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Lebanon, highlighted the significant contributions of women during Lebanon’s crisis. Women have been fundamental in providing aid, managing shelters, and fostering community solidarity. However, Riza emphasized that acknowledging their contributions is insufficient without addressing the barriers to their participation in decision-making, which is crucial for future recovery efforts.
Led by UN Women, the campaign aims to celebrate and call for action by emphasizing the indispensable role of women and girls in Lebanon’s conflict response, recovery, and reconstruction efforts. Gielan Elmessiri, UN Women Representative in Lebanon, stressed that while women are leading crisis responses and shaping rebuilding efforts, they are often excluded from key decisions affecting their lives and futures. Elmessiri urged that the promises of the Beijing Declaration must not be deferred, as gender equality is essential for a more equitable Lebanon.
International Women’s Day, first celebrated by the United Nations in 1975, is now recognized globally on March 8. It is a day to acknowledge women’s achievements, recognize ongoing challenges, and advocate for necessary changes.
The United Nations in Lebanon includes 26 agencies, funds, and programmes, alongside peacekeeping and political missions, working towards peace, security, development, and human rights in Lebanon.