Purpose

The International Women's Day (IWD) was first declared in 1910 and the first IWD event held in 1911. ADB celebrates 100 years of IWD making it as the theme for this year's Annual IWD Breakfast Event and the Gender Month.

Objectives

The month's activities will:

• promote gender equality and women's empowerment in the work culture and work environment;
• provide an understanding of ADB's institutional commitment to gender mainstreaming;
• enhance gender knowledge of ADB staff in select topics (i.e. health and reproductive rights, gender and HIV in infrastructure, and gender and microinsurance)

Activities

A.  Institutional Activities

• 28 Feb-1 Mar: Diversity Awareness, Training of Trainers
• 3 Mar: Effective Communication for Directors (with diversity focus) - Pilot
• 8 Mar: International Women's Day (IWD) Breakfast. ADB celebrates 100 years of IWD.
• 8 Mar: Global Women's Leadership Development Survey
• 31 Mar: Women's Education Network Event

B.  Operational Activities

• 8 Mar:  Joint Gender Equity and Health CoPs Seminar:  Gender and HIV in the Asia and Pacific Region
• 9 Mar:  Eminent Speaker’s Forum – Dr. Nafis Sadik
• 10 Mar:  Insight Thursday – VP Ursula Shaefer-Preuss
• 17 Mar:  Gender Equity CoP Seminar:  Gender and Microinsurance
• 24 Mar:  Gender Session on Poverty, Social Analysis and Gender for ADB Projects Training
• Week of 28th Mar:  ADB-ILO Book Launch:  Women and Labour Markets in Asia – Rebalancing for Gender Equality (TBC)

Target Participants

All staff are invited to attend the IWD Breakfast event on 8 March and the various seminars planned for the month.