International Women's Day 2012 - Supporting Women's Economic Empowerment

International Women's Day is celebrated across the world on March 8th each year. The day is about celebrating the vital role women play in enhancing economic security for their families, communities and countries as a whole while recognising that significant barriers to achieving women's economic security and equality continue to exist.

In 2012 UN Women Australia is focussing its fundraising efforts on the Partners Improving Markets program which is working to make marketplaces safe for women across the Pacific.

Speakers

Sally Sara

ABC Foreign Correspondent

Sally Sara is an award winning journalist and foreign correspondent with the ABC.  She has reported from more than 30 countries including Iraq, Lebanon and Sierra Leone.
 
Sally has spent the past year covering the news from the frontline of the war in Afghanistan.  During her career, she has broken the glass ceiling, as the first female correspondent appointed to the ABC's Africa, South Asia and Kabul bureaus.  Sally has written for The New York Times and The Boston Globe and is the author of the best selling biography, 'Gogo Mama.'
 
Sally has been named South Australian Young Journalist of the Year and Queensland Journalist of the Year.  She has won United Nations Media Peace Awards and medals at the New York Festival Radio and Television Awards.  She has been a finalist in the Walkley Awards for Journalism, six times.
 
In 2011, Sally was appointed as a Member of the Order of Australia for service to journalism and the community.

Nikone Nanong

Managing Director of Nikone Handicrafts in Laos

Rassanikone (Nikone) Nanong maintains she is not a business woman however she set up and runs Nikone Handicrafts in Vientiane after years of running Lao Cotton, a state enterprise.

Nikone employs 50 weavers, dyers, office staff and showroom assistants on site and 70 weavers in the villages.

As a result of the business, people have seen a dramatic improvement in their lives, including increasing school attendance by 50 per cent along with improving housing for families and the implementation of a voluntary savings fund.

Nikone prides herself on being  a just and fair employer, expecting high standards and ensuring a good working environment and conditions for all her employees.

Events

UN Women Australia will be holding events around Australia attended by our special guest speakers. You can also hold your own event, bringing women and men together to fundraise for important UN Women projects in developing countries focused on women's economic empowerment.

International Women's Day merchandise and materials are now online!