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Thank you all my sisters around the world who have fought for women's rights over many years. On this year's IWD I salute and honor a senior and a junior sister: Irene Tinker, a decades-long leader of the feminist movement who spent formative years in India turned 98 on her March 8 birthday today. Inspiring Irene helped me launch Gender Action almost 25 years ago to hold IFIs accountable for their harmful gender impacts. Happy Birthday and Happy IWD Irene! My Nigerian sister Betty Abah who as FoE Nigeria's women's rights leader with whom I fought the World Bank's West Africa Gas Pipelines now directs CEE-HOPE that fights to prevent and end gender-based violence against Nigerian girls. Happy IWD Betty!

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To all the fierce women holding IFIs accountable, your voice shakes the systems, your fight sparks change! They may have the money, but we have the truth, the people, and the power. ✊ Keep pushing, keep exposing, keep demanding justice for a green and equitable future! 🌍 The future is ours to rewrite together! Happy International Women's Day 2025!

Kaniz Rabeya

CLEAN, Bangladesh

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International Women’s Day 2025: Collectively, we can Accelerate Action for gender equality

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Kudos to the women around the world who navigate biases yet stand firm in their fight for equality and justice.

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On this International Women's Day, we honor the strength, resilience and unwavering spirit of women in Sri Lanka and around the world.Despite facing challenges, women stand at the forefront of changes- protecting communities,preserve nature and fighting for justice.Let us reaffirm our commitment to empowering women, ensuring equal opportunities and fostering a society where every women's voice is heard and valued.

Samadhi Hansani Premasiri

Attorney at Law

Legal Officer

Centre for Environmental Justice

Sri Lanka.

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Nakikiisa ang 350 Pilipinas at ang mga kababaihang miyembro nito sa pagkilala sa lakas at tapang na binuhos ng kababaihan para sa klima, access sa enerhiya at pagpapaunlad tungo sa sustenableng mga komunidad.

Kinikilala namin ang pagsisikap ng mga kababaihan upang patuloy na hamunin mga International financial institutions (IFIs) upang matiyak na ang mga mekanismo, polisiya, transparency, accountability, at mga proyekto ay nakatuon sa pagpapaunlad at pagpapataas ng kapasidad ng komunidad at hindi nakakasira sa kalikasan at komunidad

Posible ang isang kinabukasan, na papaganahin ng araw, hangin, at mga tao. Isang kinabukasan na ang enerhiya ay nagagamit at pinapangunahan ng kababaihan. Naniniwala kaming ito ay posible dahil sa kolektibo nating pagsisikap. Maligayang pandaigdigang araw ng kababaihan para sa atin!

Nadia, 350 Pilipinas

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This International Women’s Day, I’d like to honour two women in particular who dedicated their lives to supporting communities in the face of unjust development. To Mehda Patkar who has spent four decades tirelessly fighting against the World Bank funded Sardar Sarovar dam in India. And to Berta Cáceres, brutally murdered nine years ago for defending the rights of the Lenca people against the FMO-financed Agua Zarca hydro project. Their courage and compassion continues to inspire our work today and our commitment to support women leaders.

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On International Women’s Day, we celebrate the strength and resilience of women leading the charge in holding IFIs accountable. As fossil gas funding by MDBs deepens gender inequality, their voices demand a just transition—one that shifts finance to renewables, empowering communities and protecting our planet. #EndFossilFinance #IWD2025

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In solidarity with women fighting for equal rights! This is still high on the agenda, in 2025. Inequality is hiding in every topic, from the access to food, to decent work and the impact of the climate crisis. IWD is a day to celebrate and honor the various struggles of women's organisations who are fighting day after day to address those inequalities. 11.11.11 will continue to support your struggle! Kris Vanslambrouck, 11.11.11 Asia Team

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"Salute to all the women who are the protectors and nurturers of our environment, women who keep fighting for their rights to secure a brighter future for our next generation!"

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On this International Women’s Day, we celebrate the women who hold IFIs accountable, cultivate food with care, and stand resilient in the face of a changing climate. You are the roots of justice, the force of change, and the hope for a better world. Your fight is fierce, your impact boundless, and your courage inspires us all.

Nurul Alam Masud

Participatory Research & Action Network- PRAAN

www.praan.org.bd

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To all the women worldwide holding IFIs accountable,

Thank you for your work. Sometimes it feels like an impossible task, a daunting journey, to fight against and transform beyond these institutions that hold so much power and control. But your courage, wisdom, and action demonstrates our agency as peoples-- reminding them and all of us that they cannot dictate how we live and breathe so long as we rise up! Especially in a time, today, when the mere existence of women and femmes are being erased in policy arenas and financing discussions, you remind them that we are still here, and will continue to be seen no matter what. I am fighting with you!

Lots of love <3

Fiana Arbab

Oxfam International DC

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"Stand Up" - Official Lyric Video - Performed by Cynthia Erivo

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Photo credits to Asia Pacific Forum on Women Law and Development

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"[T]he new woman is no longer either a mindless ornament... or a mindless drudge... She is a woman who has ‘discovered the exalting realm of responsibility’, a woman fully engaged in the making of history...a woman-for-action." ~ Ma. Lorena Barros, Filipina activist, writer.

"A woman's place is in the struggle." ~ Assata Shakur, Black American activist.

These words from two women over half a century ago in the 1970s still ring true today. Women still suffer from gender-based violence and socio-political and economic injustices brought by patriarchy and the current inequitable and destructive global "development" model that is supported by IFI policies and projects. Salute to all women who continue to organize, resist, and struggle for development that is feminist and based on justice and people's rights.

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The women's movement is remarkable for introducing transformational change without bloodshed. No one understands better the preciousness and precarity of life than women. It is no surprise that women are active in civic space for they know the deleterious consequences of development aggression on bodies, culture, land, and relationships. Hats off to the many women at the frontlines of environmental defense and accountability activism!

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Women are the backbone of society! If not included in development processes, societies will keep developing in unequal, fragile ways. Women must be empowered with knowledge and rights, and their voices must be amplified and heard. If people - including those with white collars claiming to manage development - keep ignoring these simple facts, humanity is doomed.

Pretty women wonder where my secret lies.
I’m not cute or built to suit a fashion model’s size
But when I start to tell them,
They think I’m telling lies.
I say,
It’s in the reach of my arms,
The span of my hips,
The stride of my step,
The curl of my lips.
I’m a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That’s me.

Phenomenal Woman by Maya Angelou (1st verse)

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to all the incredible women of the world who are fighting against injustice and inequality globally. This is a noble cause as women have been excluded most of the time from projects, programs, and policies by IFIs, especially ADB, and AIIB. we shall amplify the women's voices at all levels.

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Dear Women Holding IFIs Accountable,

Women have an intimate and deeper knowledge of their environment and communities that allow them to understand how changes can benefit or harm their people. Women are marvelous leaders with capacity for great empathy to the disadvantaged and voiceless. Salute all women who have committed themselves to speak truth to power for the achievement of environmental justice in these most difficult times.

On behalf of the women and men of GAIA Asia Pacific,

Mayang Azurin

Deputy Director for Campaigns

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There is no sustainable development or just transition until women’s voices are heard and engaged in an equal and meaningful way. Women are often the most negatively impacted by climate change, environmental destruction and other problems, but they also hold the key to many of the solutions. We are grateful and proud to work alongside a number of inspiring, courageous and powerful women all over the world - on this day (and every day) we praise you and celebrate you!

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Dear incredible women of the Forum Network and partner organizations,

With each passing day, your strength and dedication become more inspiring. At the forefront of the International Financial Institutions (IFIs), you demonstrate not only determination, but also the ability to bring change to a world that so desperately needs justice and equality. Your voices and actions are not just responses to the challenges of the times, but powerful forces that, with each step, bring us closer to a more just and equitable future.

Despite the difficulties and resistance, you stand at the forefront, reflecting resilience and commitment to your principles. Your efforts are important and irreplaceable, and every day you contribute to creating a world where politics becomes more humane and aimed at justice for all. Your achievements are not just victories for women’s rights, but key steps towards equality and justice for all humanity.

We are proud of your efforts and stand with you in solidarity, ready to support and strengthen your voice and actions, which undoubtedly inspire the future to change. You are the ones who change the world, and this path deserves every support and recognition.

With the deepest respect and gratitude,

Chinara Aitbaeva

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Alyansa Tigil Mina (ATM) stands with the women rights defenders all over the world who are protecting their lands and livelihoods by challenging the entry or operations of destructive mining projects in their communities. ATM believes that women environmental rights defenders play a crucial role in surfacing and amplifying the voices of communities who are standing up and defending their food, water and health that is dependent on healthy land, clean air and pristine water and a safe and comfortable locality. We commit our alliance to continue supporting and strengthening the ranks of women, especially the indigenous and young women, who can contribute significantly to meaningful freedoms here in the Philippines and all over the world.

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Silva Adamyan Armenia

Dear women, your role in the world's processes is undeniable. We are a huge force and we can dictate our terms and beliefs. MY DEAR ONES, BE HAPPY

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To all the incredible women- your courage, persistence, and unwavering dedication to justice and truth inspire change. Your voice matters, and your efforts make a difference. Keep pushing forward; you are seen, valued, and unstoppable!

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Sa pagdiriwang ng Pandaigdigang Araw ng Kababaihan, ating kinikilala ang matapang na pagtindig at pakikibaka ng mga kababaihan laban sa opresyon, militarisasyon at pagsupil sa karapatan na dulot nga pagtatayo ng mga proyekto ng dambuhalang korporasyon at Multilateral Development Banks sa kanilang komunidad at tahanan.

Ang agresibong pagpapalawak ng ADB at AIIB ng kani-kanilang mga proyekto at iba pang uri ng huwad na pagpipinansya ay siya namang pagkitil sa karapatan at kapakanan ng mga kababaihan!

#ADBandAIIBNoMoreFalseSolution #DevelopmentJusticeNow

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This International Women’s Day, we honor the courage and resilience of women who stand up to hold ADB and AIIB accountable. Your voices challenge injustice, demand transparency, and fight for a world where development serves people, not profit. Keep rising, keep resisting—your struggle paves the way for a just and equitable future!

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ADB and AIIB: Nothing about us without us!

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Adarsha Samajik Progoti Sangstha (ASPS)

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Adarsha Samajik Progoti Sangstha, Bangladesh, https://www.facebook.com/aspsbd18/