UN marks International Women's Day linking equality and progress

The United Nations celebrated the link between the well-being of women and the overall progress of society on Friday, the eve of International Women's Day, dpa reported. Former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who spoke at the event to commemorate International Women's Day, welcomed the progress made so far, noting that more girls are in school and more women hold public office than ever before in history. "Yet for what we have achieved all together, this remains the great unfinished business of the 21st century," Clinton said. "When women and girls thrive, entire societies thrive." Clinton said that no country in the world has achieved complete gender equality and urged nations to embrace women's rights calling the present time a "pivotal point of this struggle." UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said that the well-being of women contributes to the well-being of society as a whole. Saturday is International Women's Day, which has been observed since 1909 in the United States. By 1911, International Women's Day was observed in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland, and soon spread to other countries.