International Women's Day (IWD) is a global celebration of the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. IWD is celebrated annually on March 8th, and the theme of this year’s celebration is inclusion. Annually, this occasion serves as a touching reflection on the advancements made towards achieving gender equality, while also emphasizing the persisting challenges that warrant attention.

In 2024, the campaign theme "Inspire Inclusion" underscores the paramount significance of diversity and empowerment across all facets of society. This thematic focus emphasizes the pivotal role of inclusion in the pursuit of gender equality. It calls for proactive measures to dismantle barriers, challenge prevailing stereotypes, and cultivate environments that appreciate and honor the worth of every woman. "Inspire Inclusion" urges individuals to acknowledge and value the unique perspectives and contributions of women from diverse backgrounds, including those belonging to marginalised communities.

On Tuesday, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Irish Council for International Students held a webinar to mark International Women’s Day 2024. Our guest speakers reflected on individual and collective journeys of working towards achieving the inclusion of women in their respective fields and countries. We hope that Fellows who attended the event enjoyed the speakers’ contributions.

The webinar began with welcome words and introduction by Laura Pohjolainen, Programme Manager of the Ireland Fellows Programme (IFP). We then heard from Laura Harmon, Director at Irish Council for International Students. Following that, we had an opening remark by Mary Barrett, Fellowships Programme Coordinator, Global Programmes and Global Citizen Education Unit, Department of Foreign Affairs.

There are some presentations as the following:

• The webinar will showcase a Visual Art Exhibition titled "Inspiring Inclusion" by Marjorie Laville-Pain.
• “Misconceptions of Inclusion and Challenges of Exclusion” by Wuraoluwa Ayodele, IFP Fellow 2023-24, MA in Women's Studies at the University College Cork
• “Women's Inclusion & Contribution in Academia & Society” by Oluwafunmilayo Oni, 2023 IFP Alumni & Inclusion Specialist
• “How do you inform yourself? The inclusion and the representation of women in media” by Elisa Castrillon Palacio, IFP Fellow 2023-24, MA in Women's Studies at the University College Cork

During the webinar, participants split up into breakout rooms to discuss the topics above and Q&A session at the end of the webinar.

It was a great webinar with excellent participation and engagement to celebrate International Women’s Day. We would like to thank all of our incredible speakers for their contributions to this event.