UN Women launches the “For ALL Women and Girls” campaign to mark International Women’s Day 2025 

UN Women Moldova is launching the campaign “For ALL Women and Girls: Rights. Equality. Empowerment.”, calling for actions that can unlock equal rights, power, and opportunities for all. This global campaign, initiated in celebration of International Women’s Day, takes place in a landmark year, marking several significant international milestones: 30 years since the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, 25 years since the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace, and Security, and 10 years since the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals. These milestones occur at a time when backlashes against women’s rights and gender equality are on the rise. 

Thirty years ago, with the adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, world leaders made a commitment to equal rights, opportunities, power, and safety for women and girls everywhere. The Beijing Platform for Action (BPfA) remains the world’s most comprehensive and visionary plan ever created to achieve equal rights for all women and girls. In the Republic of Moldova, significant progress has been made since the adoption of the BPfA. Women represent 40% of the members of Parliament, 41.53% in local councils, and 24.02% of mayors are women. Women make up 21% of employees in the National Army (2024) and 28% of the workforce in the Ministry of Internal Affairs, with 9% in senior decision-making positions. 

The country has made notable progress in strengthening the national legal and policy framework on women’s rights and gender equality by approving and amending laws aimed at eliminating violence against women and domestic violence, introducing flexible working arrangements and alternative childcare services to facilitate increased participation of women in the labor market, amending labor laws for increased salary transparency to reduce the gender wage gap, and approving two National Action Plans on Women, Peace, and Security, among other initiatives. 

However, patriarchal social norms and gender stereotypes continue to impact women and girls. According to a 2024 study, over 50% of the population believe that it is the duty of women to take care of the household and 27% believe women don’t belong in politics.1 Only 37.5% of the ministers or cabinet members are women and only 44.6% of all leadership positions at different levels are held by women, compared 55.4% by men. The employment rate among women is also lower than that of men, with 36.8% of women over the age of 15 employed in 2022, compared to 44.7% of men, this being influenced by several factors, including the presence of children in the household. In 2022, the employment rate of women aged 25-49 with at least one child was 50.4%, while for women without children, the rate reached 64.8%2. On average, women also earned 15.6% less than men.3  

Dominika Stojanoska, UN Women Country Representative in Moldova, says that “30 years ago, with the adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, Member States made a commitment to women and girls globally to make the world more gender-equal. Since then, the world has witnessed progress in gender equality and women’s rights. In Moldova, we have seen advancements in legislation protecting survivors of violence, the implementation of National Action Plans promoting women’s participation in peacebuilding and the security and defense sectors, greater financial empowerment for women, and increased representation of women at all levels of decision-making. This shows that progress was possible, but it has been slow, fragile, and uneven globally. Most importantly, this progress is not guaranteed. However, we know what must be done—and we know we can do it. Because gender equality is the way forward, not just for women, not just for girls, but for the future of humanity.” 

We need to act now!  The Campaign “For ALL Women and Girls” aims to promote action in three key areas: Advance women’s and girls’ rights, promote gender equality, and foster empowerment.  

In Moldova, the campaign was launched with the Local Women Producers Fair taking place on 1-2 March in the Cathedral Park, Chisinau. The fair brought together over 100 women entrepreneurs from diverse communities and regions, including Ukrainian refugees, showcasing their products to curious visitors eager to purchase handmade items and authentic products.  

To mark International Women’s Day, UN Women will host the Live Podcast “Equal rights - equal opportunities” on March 9, starting at 16:00, at Mediacor. Hosted by journalist Nata Albot, the event will feature dialogues with speakers Valentina Naforniță, Cristian Spătaru, Ionela Hadârcă, and Daniel and Alina Vodă. These voices will lead discussions on important topics related to women's rights, gender equality, and empowerment.  

For the second year in a row, the “Ring the Bell” will be organized by UN Women together with the Stock Exchange of Moldova. Taking place on March 11, the event symbolizes the opening of the trading day on the stock exchange and is a call to action to promote promoting a more equitable, inclusive and sustainable environment, where diversity and female leadership are recognized as key drivers of economic progress.  

On March 25, the Ellevator: Female Founders Conference will bring together industry leaders, investors, and business experts to provide women entrepreneurs with insights, mentorship and networking opportunities. By fostering connections and equipping women with strategic tools for growth, the conference serves as a catalyst for innovation and success in women-led businesses. 

Join the campaign by participating at UN Women’s events, or by joining the global #ForAllWomenAndGirls campaign through speaking up for gender equality on social media. Together, we can make the world equal and better for everyone.  

The #ForAllWomenAndGirls campaign in Moldova is organized by UN Women, with financial support from the European Union, The Swiss Development Cooperation, and Sweden.