3 actions you can take to make impact before, during and after International Women's Day
By UN Global Compact NL
03.02.2025, 14:33
On March 8, it's International Women's Day, the perfect moment to celebrate the women in your organization, but also to reflect on what more you can do to promote gender equality. Because did you know that, at the current pace, it will take another 169 years to achieve true gender equality? That’s far too long. It can and must happen faster. Companies and organizations play a crucial role—not just on March 8, but all year round. So how can you take action? In this blog, we share three concrete ways to make a real impact before, during, and after International Women’s Day.
1. Raise awareness and knowlegde
If your company is still in the early stages of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), education is one of the easiest and most effective ways to start making progress. After all, change begins with awareness and knowledge—both on an individual and organizational level. A great way to do this is by offering e-learning for all employees. This allows colleagues to learn at their own pace while gaining the tools they need to actively promote gender equality in their daily work.
The Countdown to International Women's Day is an interactive online learning program that helps companies move from commitment to action on gender equality. It consists of three sessions, starting on February 18 and ending on March 8. Participation is free and you can sign up here.
Would you rather learn on demand? Our Academy offers various modules you can access anytime, anywhere. From 'How to increase gender balance in boardrooms' to 'How to be a male ally' - investing just 60 minutes of your time can create lasting impact.
2. Aim for high goals
Does your company already have a strong focus on diversity, gender equality, and inclusion? Then it’s time to raise the bar! One way to do this is by signing initiatives that challenge your organization to take things to the next level. For example, consider endorsing the Women's Empowerment Principles, also known as the WEPs. This is a set of seven principles designed to help companies promote gender equality and empower women in the workplace and beyond. Organizations that sign up (learn how here) gain access to guides, tools, and resources to help them achieve these goals.
In addition to the WEPs, you can also commit to the Forward Faster goals: 1) Equal representation, participation, and leadership of women at all levels of management by 2030, and 2) Equal pay for equal work by 2030.
3. Join an event or programme
Feeling inspired after International Women's Day and want to keep the momentum going? Consider joining a Peer Learning Group! This is a great opportunity to exchange best practices, learn from each other’s successes (and failures), and expand your network with like-minded professionals and experts. The next Peer Learning Group starts in March, and you can sign up—alone or with colleagues—until February 14. Learn more here.
Looking for a bigger commitment? Starting this summer, you can join the next round of our Target Gender Equality Accelerator, a programme that helps businesses achieve the Forward Faster gender equality goals (mentioned above). A key part of this programme is completing the Gap Analysis Tool, which helps organizations assess where they stand on gender equality and identify areas for improvement. You can sign up here to stay informed about the training. The Gap Analysis Tool can also be used independently—making it a great action to take before International Women’s Day!
International Women's Day is also a great opportunity to engage your colleagues and network in initiatives beyond the office and the 8th of March. One example is the Night Against Sexual Violence, organized by Plan International in Rotterdam on May 17-18. Your company can form a team to walk together and raise funds to combat sexual violence against women. Want to participate but don’t have enough colleagues to create a team? No problem—you’re more than welcome to join the UN Global Compact NL team! This will be our second year participating to raise awareness about workplace harassment and gender-based violence.