IWD 2025: What does ‘Accelerate Action’ mean to you?
Marked by millions of people on March 8, International Women’s Day is a celebration of the achievements of women worldwide.
International Women’s Day rests on a long history of collective action dedicated to fighting gender injustice. The day not only celebrates the wonderful contributions of women but also serves as a reminder and recognition of our continued commitment to building a world that honors all women and girls.
We join this year’s IWD theme of “Accelerate Action”, that calls on us to renew our efforts towards gender equality.
We turn to the fierce feminists and the global changemakers in our communities, asking what ‘Accelerate Action’ means to them. As you scroll through these reflections, we invite you to also think of what it means to you.
We Asked, They Said…
Farah Saleh |
Palestinian Dancer, Choreographer, Scholar
‘Accelerate Action’ means working actively and tirelessly towards decolonizing the self from Global North notions of the beautify and the sublime, and the adoption of Global Majority notions of the experiential and the sensational.
‘Accelerate Action’ to me means working actively and tirelessly towards decolonizing the self from Global North notions of the beautify and the sublime, and the adoption of Global Majority notions of the experiential and the sensational. Decolonising the self is not an individual process, but a collective one that happens in community. It is a constant and assiduous process of realization that keeps forming and transforming our fluid subjectivities.
Karen Larbi |
Founder, Karen Larbi Coaching & Consulting, DEI Strategist
‘Accelerate Action’ is about recognizing the urgency of dismantling all the systems of oppression that affect women while grounding that urgency in care, compassion, and deep values.
For me, ‘Accelerate Action’ involves moving with purpose, clarity, and alignment toward justice, liberation, and healing. It’s about recognizing the urgency of dismantling all the systems of oppression that affect women - white supremacy, heterosexism, transphobia, ableism, classism, colonialism, climate injustice, and more - while grounding that urgency in care, compassion, and deep values.
We ‘Accelerate Action’ with intention by tapping into the ancestral wisdom and pathways to power of women at the forefront of Black resistance, disability justice, queer and trans liberation, climate justice, and all global movements fighting for freedom, equity, and agency. When we do this, we make room for our full humanity and demand spaces that affirm our whole selves.
We ‘Accelerate Action’ by grounding ourselves in deep gratitude and reverence for the interconnected web of life, and building regenerative movements rooted in equity and healing. It’s a commitment to centering those most marginalized, pulling just and free futures into the present, futures where justice is not just imagined but lived, and ensuring that every step forward is intentional, intersectional, and infused with hope, compassion, and integrity.
Finally, we ‘Accelerate Action’ by remembering the words of Audre Lorde: “I am not free while any woman is unfree, even when her shackles are very different from my own.”
Paz Romero |
Community Builder, Project Manager, cofounder of Justice Funds
‘Accelerate Action’ is the collective need to organize ourselves to confront the growing presence of fascists with microphones across the world. It’s about moving away from empty promises and focusing on creating the impact we want.
‘Accelerate Action’ is the collective need to organize ourselves to confront the growing presence of fascists with microphones across the world. It’s about moving away from empty promises and focusing on creating the impact we want. It asks for self-assessment; understanding our boundaries and desires. Accelerating action can mean slowing down to rest, buying noise-canceling headphones so you can march on the streets, or committing to your art and creative projects.
We need everyone engaged, working from their own motivations and strengths. Accelerating action also means knowing your neighbours, pausing to ask how they’re doing, reflecting on what you buy and where it comes from, and understanding that the rights we enjoy today were fought for by previous generations. It’s now our turn to build something better, not just for humanity but for all living things on this planet.
Lerato Mashianoke |
International Development & Philanthropy Specialist, African Feminist Thinker
For me, ‘Accelerate Action’ is a demand to move beyond empty commitments and into real, urgent, and deeply intentional work that shifts power and resources to those who have always been on the frontlines.
For me, ‘Accelerate Action’ is a demand to move beyond empty commitments and into real, urgent, and deeply intentional work that shifts power and resources to those who have always been on the frontlines. Feminist movements, especially those led by Black, Indigenous, and grassroots women in the Global South, have been driving change for generations, often with the least support. Yet, despite all the talk of gender equality, funding continues to be concentrated in the hands of a few, reinforcing the same systems of power that social justice philanthropy claims to dismantle. The Global South remains on the margins of philanthropic giving, with feminist movements receiving a fraction of the resources that flow elsewhere.
This is not accidental—it is a direct consequence of racialized funding structures that privilege institutions in the Global North while leaving the very movements with the most transformative solutions struggling for survival. If we are serious about social justice, accelerating action means shifting philanthropic practices from control to care, from restrictions to trust, and from reinforcing power imbalances to actively redistributing them.
Women and girls—across race, class, disability, migration status, and all their diversities—continue to face violence, exploitation, and systemic exclusion. If we do not explicitly commit to resourcing them, especially those most marginalized, then we are not accelerating action—we are slowing it down. When movements thrive, communities thrive, the world thrives and true social justice moves forward.
Sarah Osman |
Cognitive Psychologist, Global Development Expert
The most meaningful work is that which benefits our communities, because when they thrive, so do we as women.
Despite everything happening right now, I still believe this is the best time in history to take ownership of our world and drive real change. We have more agency and autonomy than ever to dedicate ourselves to the causes we believe in. There has never been a better moment to pursue our vision for the future.
But making it a reality requires us to step into our rightful roles and uplift our communities alongside us. The most meaningful work is that which benefits our communities, because when they thrive, so do we as women. Let’s acknowledge our fears and insecurities, but let’s not allow them to stand in the way of shaping the future and building the world we want to see.
Surabhi Jain |
Chief Catalyst, Surabhi Jain Consulting, Social Impact Leader
Accelerating action is supporting every woman in her leadership journey so they can realize their full potential and achieve their big, bold, catalytic vision.
To me "Accelerate Action" means being an ally to other women who need the push and belief that they can achieve what they have set out to. So many times women, especially women of color, hear mixed messages about their leadership and ability to own/lead a project that in the noise around them, they forget that they are capable, experienced, and able to lead the project they were given.
To me, accelerating action is supporting every woman in her leadership journey so they can realize their full potential and achieve their big, bold, catalytic vision. It is ensuring that I am breaking down systems that are holding them back, and providing mentorship and coaching to enable their growth. It is showing up for my fellow women without judgement or doubting their capabilities. It is being the safety net beneath them so they can rise confidently without fear of falling down. It's recognizing, honouring, and validating their lived experiences.
Yasmina Benslimane |
F
eminist Activist, Consultant, Coach
To me, ‘Accelerate Action’ means recognizing that we are not truly free until we are all free. Our liberation is interconnected, and it is time for us to embody transnational feminist solidarity across borders.
To me, ‘Accelerate Action’ means recognizing that we are not truly free until we are all free. Our liberation is interconnected, and it is time for us to embody transnational feminist solidarity across borders. The urgency of the moment demands that we not only speak but act in unison to dismantle systems of oppression. Every step we take, no matter how small, has the power to ripple through communities and create lasting change.
Our deepest gratitude to the incredible women who participated in our International Women’s Day 2025 campaign. We honour you, your work, and your commitment to gender equity and social justice.