YWCA of Palestine Statement on International Women’s Day 2025
For International Women’s Day in 2025, the YWCA of Palestine honors the strength, resilience, and achievements of women worldwide, especially those undergoing atrocious circumstances and unjust conditions.
This year’s theme for International Women’s Day is “For ALL women and girls: Rights. Equality. Empowerment.” The capitalization of “ALL” is quite pertinent. After all, we persist through our work at the YWCA of Palestine in acknowledging that everyone, everywhere should have access to nutritious food, quality health care, basic services such as clean water and electricity, as well as housing, education, employment, technology, and transportation.
Our most recent discussions with young women emphasized that the five main things for their leadership needs are to be safe, respected, included, connected, and skilled. We must continue to stress the point that peace, security, and sustainable living must be achieved for ALL women and girls to reach their full potential and live free of discrimination.
For Palestinians, the horrors of last year made it feel like a hundred years had passed. At this time a year ago, the world had been counting death tolls in Gaza while the bombardment by Israeli forces relentlessly continued. The United Nations recently confirmed that more than 45,000 Palestinians were killed over the course of the year,[1] while homes, residential buildings, properties, and infrastructure were overwhelmingly destroyed, and over 1.9million people forcibly displaced.
Although long overdue and unguaranteed, ceasefire agreements have been timely for this year to start with a potential sigh of relief. Evidently, thousands of individuals are just now beginning to grasp what little has remained of their livelihoods and families – if any at all. It has been utterly devastating to witness what the prolonged occupation and dismissal of human rights means on the ground, with entire populations deprived of food, water, electricity, fuel, and shelter – let alone the right to live in safety. Ultimately, the siege on the Gaza Strip and much of the West Bank are still enforced, with restrictions imposed across the territories – including Jerusalem. Palestinian women, children, and youth remain subjected to various forms of violence, while the changing demographics and pressures are forcibly removing inhabitants out of their homes.
Still, the YWCA of Palestine never stopped raising its voice for gender equality, justice, and empowerment. Even in the most difficult times, it has persisted to amplify young women’s voices. It has carried on its mission and remains adamant in its faith and call to action for rights, equality, and empowerment for ALL women and girls.
It is both empowering and deeply meaningful to see that we have actively upheld and implemented our beliefs on the ground, even in the most challenging times. Essentially, we do not take for granted the strength and resilience of women enduring hostility and violence, and we remain committed in recognizing that our collective work is crucial to a difference.
Happy International Women’s Day to us ALL.