International Women’s Day 2025
A single day can shift the world’s attention, and UN Women Australia makes sure it shifts toward action. Every International Women’s Day, we turn that attention into a platform: campaigning for gender equality and raising the funds that support women and girls worldwide.
In 2025, under the theme March Forward: For ALL Women and Girls, we commemorated 30 years since the United Nation’s Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action for achieving gender equality. Since 1995, women have broken barriers, reshaped policies, and ignited powerful movements worldwide. But despite these advances, millions of women and girls still face systemic inequalities, rising violence, and economic disparities that hold them back from reaching their full potential. Through national events, strategic partnerships, and a far-reaching digital campaign, we brought communities together, mobilised resources, and pushed for change built to last.
3,702
people attended our IWD events live across Australia
3,634
people tuned in to our IWD virtual event
1.3 M
people viewed our campaign on social media
$370,246
was raised to support women and girls globally
Together, we’re building a future where every women and girl has the opportunity to thrive.
Parliamentary Breakfast
On 5 February 2025, UN Women Australia hosted its annual Parliamentary Breakfast at Parliament House, officially launching Australia’s International Women’s Day celebrations.
Co-hosted by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Opposition Leader Peter Dutton, Under the 2025 theme, March Forward: For ALL Women and Girls, marking Beijing+30 (thirty years since the UN Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action), keynote speakers including the Prime Minister, Opposition Leader and Foreign Minister Penny Wong highlighted the importance of women’s economic empowerment as a driver of national and global progress.
For more photos from our IWD 2025 celebrations click here.
International Women’s Day Events
On 7 March 2025, thousands of Australians came together, in person and online, to mark International Women’s Day with UN Women Australia.
Live events were held in Brisbane, Canberra, Melbourne, Perth, and Sydney, each drawing engaged crowds of advocates and supporters, backed by a far-reaching virtual program that extended the day’s reach well beyond those cities. Attendees heard directly from leaders and changemakers working to dismantle barriers and reshape the systems that stand between women and girls and their full potential, voices that made clear just how much momentum this movement continues to build.
Highlights included:
- Her Excellency the Honourable Sam Mostyn AC, Governor-General of Australia
- An interview with Mary Robinson, Former President of Ireland
- Local speakers such as Celeste Barber, Madison de Rozario OAM, Maria Thattil, Suzy Urbaniak OAM, Dr Carmen Lawrence AO and Professor Lyn Beazley AO
- A conversation with Chair of Wiyi Yani U Thangaani Institute, June Oscar AO
Thanks to the generosity of our community, we raised $370,246 to support UN Women’s programs, providing women and girls with access to education, vocational training, and financial tools to build brighter, more secure futures.
Adelaide International Women’s Day Breakfast
On International Women’s Day, over 3,000 people gathered in Adelaide for the annual IWD Breakfast, proudly hosted by Senator the Hon. Penny Wong in support of UN Women.
Proud Arrernte and Kalkadoon woman and one of Australia’s most significant storytellers, Rachel Perkins, moved the audience with the story of her parent’s love in the face of racism and her mother’s remarkable strength and determination to drive social change and equality.
The event raised vital funds to support UN Women’s global mission and was made possible by the dedication of the Adelaide IWD Committee and a passionate team of volunteers. We thank them for their unwavering commitment to advancing women’s rights and empowerment.
IWD@Work
We were proud to bring back the IWD@Work program in 2025, giving workplaces across Australia comprehensive resources and company-wide virtual access to UN Women Australia’s IWD events. For many organisations, it became the go-to space to mark International Women’s Day meaningfully, not as a single gesture, but as a sustained conversation running throughout March.
Through IWD@Work, employers could showcase their own gender equality programs and outcomes, profile leaders driving change from within their organisations, and spark discussions that carried real weight. Workplaces streamed live and on-demand content throughout the month, giving employees flexible ways to engage no matter where or how they worked. And at the heart of it all, IWD@Work gave workplaces a direct way to raise funds for UN Women’s programs, turning workplace engagement into tangible support for women and girls around the world.
Gather For Good
In 2025, UN Women Australia’s International Women’s Day peer-to-peer fundraiser was rebranded from #MyIWDLunch to Gather for Good, inviting supporters across the country to host their own gatherings — from picnics and yoga sessions to school lunches and games nights — bringing people together to connect, raise awareness and fundraise for a brighter, more equitable future for women and girls. The campaign engaged 27 online fundraisers and two schools that fundraised offline, together raising $6,541.05, comprising $4,080.05 from online donations and $2,461 from school fundraising, with all funds going directly towards UN Women programs supporting women and girls.
