Devex’s “The Development Newswire” quotes a number of leaders in the international community about International Women’s Day, observed annually on March 8. “The message by U.N. Women Executive Director Michelle Bachelet on International Women’s Day encapsulated a rallying cry for this year among gender advocates: to end discrimination and violence against women and girls,” the news service writes, adding, “At the 5th Annual Women’s Empowerment Principles Event in New York, [U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon] said: ‘We must not rest until we end violence against women and ensure women’s full political and economic participation worldwide.'” The article also quotes U.N. Development Programme Administrator Helen Clark, World Bank Managing Director Caroline Anstey, and World Bank President Jim Yong Kim (Morden, 3/8).

In a statement, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said, “Around the globe, whether they are creating and embracing new opportunities for education and entrepreneurship in Afghanistan, working for democratic reform in Burma, or advancing human rights in the Middle East and North Africa, more women are finding their voices, lifting up communities and nations, and paving the way for future generations to live a better life. … The United States remains committed to working with partners around the world to ensure that this vital progress continues” (3/7). The Guardian has published a page containing all of its coverage of the day (3/8).