{"id":292186,"date":"2026-03-09T09:48:09","date_gmt":"2026-03-09T13:48:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/pga\/80\/?p=292186"},"modified":"2026-03-09T10:23:46","modified_gmt":"2026-03-09T14:23:46","slug":"pga-remarks-at-the-international-womens-day-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/pga\/80\/2026\/03\/09\/pga-remarks-at-the-international-womens-day-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"PGA Remarks at the International Women\u2019s Day 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

Remarks by the President of the General Assembly\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

H.E. Annalena Baerbock<\/strong><\/p>\n

International Women\u2019s Day 2026<\/strong><\/p>\n

9 March 2026 9 AM<\/strong><\/p>\n

GA Hall<\/strong><\/p>\n

[As Delivered]<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Dear Executive Director of Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Women Bahous,<\/p>\n

CdC Rattray,<\/p>\n

Ministers,<\/p>\n

Excellencies<\/p>\n

Goodwill Ambassadors,<\/p>\n

Especially ladies and girls around the world,<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

We have heard it all:<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u2022 When a woman raises her voice, she\u2019s too emotional.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u2022 When she stands her ground, she\u2019s too difficult.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u2022 When she leads, she\u2019s too ambitious.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u2022 If she wears dark suits they whisper \u2018why does she always look like a man\u2019<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u2022 But oh my gosh! if she shows up in a colorful dresses and high heels\u2026.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u2022 When women lead nations through crises they are lucky.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u2022 Yet if they stumble, it becomes the biggest crisis on earth.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Yes, we have heard it all.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

As have generations of women before us \u2013 even more directly, and with this tone:<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cYou act like a woman\u201d.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cYou run like a girl\u201d.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

As if it is something to be ashamed of.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Yet history has proved otherwise.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The facts are crystal clear.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

We don\u2019t have to negotiate them again.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u2022 When girls remain in school, economies grow, all over the world.<\/p>\n

\u2022 When women participate in the workforce, productivity rises all around the world.<\/p>\n

\u2022 When women sit at peace tables, agreements last longer, all around the world.<\/p>\n

\u2022 When women lead institutions, they are more resilient.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

So, ladies, it\u2019s time to flip the narrative.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Today we are reclaiming #Likeawoman, boldly and proudly.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

As sports star Serena Williams once said: you call us crazy, we\u2019ll show you what crazy can do.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Win#LikeAWoman.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Lead#LikeAWoman<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Change#LikeAWoman<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Especially in the midst of backlash, when it can feel as though, we are forced to fight the same old battles again and again.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Battles from 80 years ago when another so called \u201cdifficult woman\u201d Dr. Hansa Metha from India showed what #ChangeLikeA Woman can achieve.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

By insisting to change one word in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, she changed the whole meaning of it – affirming that \u201call human beings\u201d and not only men are born free and equal in dignity and rights.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

So, Dear Excellencies,<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Especially, dear girls out there<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Next time they tell you again that gender sensitive language or standing up for our reproductive rights is something \u201cwoke\u201d\u2026<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Resist like women.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Resist #Like Hansa Metha and remind them that women`s rights are nothing new but have been embedded in the DNA of this institution from the very beginning.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

And marking International Women\u2019s Day in 2026 #LikeAWoman means that we will not stop fighting for equal representation and women\u2019s rights – indeed #LikeAwoman: empathetic and ambitious – in suits, and in colorful dresses.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Until the women of Afghanistan are free, and girls worldwide are not being forced anymore to marry before they finish school.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Until we see justice for survivors of sexual abuse, whether it occurs at home or as part of exploitative sexual slavery networks, as exposed in the Epstein files.<\/p>\n

Until women are equally paid and represented, whether in newsrooms, in boardrooms, in governments, and yes, at the helm of this institution \u2013 our United Nations.<\/p>\n

Watch Broadcast Here<\/a><\/p>\n

About International Women’s Day<\/a><\/p>\n