Statement by Nadia's Initiative on 2022 International Women's Day

Washington, DC — March 8, 2022

Nadia’s Initiative marks International Women’s Day by issuing a call for concrete support, coupled with actionable goals, that will ensure women worldwide can break the bias and enjoy a truly gender-equal future.

This year, the International Women's Day 2022 campaign #BreakTheBias invites us to call out gender bias, discrimination, and stereotyping. The goal is to help break down the biases that pose obstacles to gender parity and make it difficult for women to progress and thrive.

However, data by the World Economic Forum indicates that gender equality is “on the retreat” and that the gender divide is expanding. What’s more, there has been a pronounced decline in women’s participation in the political and economic spheres worldwide.

Against this sobering backdrop, Nadia’s Initiative continues to take great strides to support women and girls in conflict and post-conflict areas – particularly survivors of genocide and sexual violence – through its multiple programs that foster women’s empowerment, provide access to education, and revitalize local economies across the communities in Sinjar that it serves.

Additionally, the organization’s advocacy work towards global policy reform for the prevention of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) in conflict zones remains more relevant than ever today, as new armed conflicts ignite around the globe. 

All too often, women and girls are the primary victims of violence and abuse in war zones. This exacerbates their vulnerability, disrupts communities, and hampers women and men’s ability to narrow the gender gap. The priorities for Nadia’s Initiative’s advocacy work on this front are first and foremost prevention, followed by providing immediate support to survivors of SGBV in conflict.

Nadia’s Initiative founder, Nobel Peace Prize laureate, and UN Goodwill Ambassador, Nadia Murad, adds the following:

“Without gender equality, our ability to enact change is limited. We must proactively work to achieve gender equality, because without it our quest to end gender-based violence may fail. And that is unacceptable. 

Whether it be through encouraging political engagement, strengthening policies in the workplace, or electing women to lead the nation, we must take a proactive stance starting today. 

But we must not rest, until those rights have been extended to all women in all communities in all countries around the world. We must think about how every one of us, individually, organizationally, and on a national level, can contribute to help reaching this goal. It takes a global village to ensure that women have equal rights and are represented and respected as decision-makers and leaders.”

On International Women’s Day, Nadia’s Initiative renews its commitments to creating a world where women can live peacefully, and where communities that have experienced trauma and suffering are supported and redeveloped.

It is only by each one of us enacting the same commitment towards our own communities that we will successfully break the bias and achieve gender equality.

Concrete support to do so – from policymakers, states, and grassroots and international organizations –remains the key to creating an environment where women are permitted to thrive and live out their full potential.